Of Fire and Water
by Teh Sad Panda
Summary: AxelOC A girl who is in love with KH2 gets transported into the game. Astoria, now traveling with Sora and co., must find a way to get home, and try not to get distracted by a certain redhaired man... CH. 9 UP! No Flames, please.
1. In Which A Story Begins

Kay, so.. This is my first fanfic, and I'm really proud of how the first two chapters are turning out. Please, please, PLEASE review after you've read this. I would really like to know what you people think about it.

Kingdom Hearts 2 belongs to SquareEnix. If I owned it, I would be rich as hell.

* * *

I love this game- the characters, the graphics, the story, the fighting style, the music. All of it. I just get sucked in while I play it. I can't help it; this game is just so good. An hour and a half after getting it, and I already think that it really is a worthy sequel.

Kingdom Hearts II- the best game that I've played in a while.

Even now, I'm playing it.

I really should thank my mom. It's the first good birthday present that she's gotten me in a while, ever since her and Dad got divorced. Now, she hardly notices that I'm here. I can't blame her, really. She's busy working to try to keep up with the bills, and I'm always with my tutor, at kickboxing class, or in my room. She's still trying to have a love life, too. Right now, it's with a guy that I think might be it. David, he's a vet. He even bought me a puppy!

I couldn't help but take a breath as a cut scene occurs. I get anxious for the story to unfold. I'm still in the beginning, in Twilight Town, playing as Roxas.

My breath caught in my throat.

Someone comes on screen. I don't know who he is. He has red hair done up in spikes that reminds me of Zack, from Final Fantasy VII. He's in a black cloak, and he's tall. Taller than Roxas. The cloak shows off his body, and reveals that he's lean, with muscle. And his eyes… They're green with… Flecks of gold? Odd. But this is a video game. Anything is possible.

The cut scene ended, and the man left with it. For some reason, I'm saddened. I can't wait to see him again, and find out more about him.

I stifled a yawn, and glanced at the clock. A little startled, I stared at it for a minute. It couldn't be that late… Could it? I yawned again, and I realized that yes, it really could be 2:35 in the morning. I'd only played my new game for about two hours… But that was logical. Mom gets home around nine-thirty every night, and we had my birthday cake after she and David took a shower and got comfortably dressed. I didn't even open up the gifts until eleven, and even then, I was playing with Bella until she got tired and collapsed on my pillow.

I yawned again, and my eyes started to droop. Reluctantly, I saved my game and turned it off. I really wanted to see if I could beat Setzer in the Struggle match, but it's hard to keep my eyes open. I changed into a silver tank top and a pair of black sleep pants, and turned to look in the mirror.

I studied my reflection for a bit. I'm not all that ugly, really. I'm tall for a girl, and I'm skinny. I'm not skin-and-bones. I'm mostly muscle. I run a few miles daily, because after my teacher leaves (I'm home schooled), I have nothing to do, and kickboxing class is only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. My hair is a bright blonde from being in the sun, and it's just above my shoulders. It's straight, but kind of jagged at the bottoms. Think of Kairi's hair in the first Kingdom Hearts, and that's how it looks. I remember in elementary school, the kids used to make fun of my name. Astoria Skye Watkins. Skye is Arabic for "water." I've always liked my name. It's unique. Unlike my eyes… My eyes aren't anything special. They're brown, but I like them, because they're a deep brown with gold rings around them.

Kind of like the red-haired guy…

My heart leaped at the thought of him, and I pictured him in my head. Then, my eyes closed, and for a split second, I blanked out. They snapped back open, and I shook my head.

I scooted Bella off of my pillow and crawled into bed. She whined, but the curled up against my stomach. I smiled and pulled her closer. My last thoughts were of the man with red hair. Then, as if someone turned my "on" switch "off," I was in the deepest sleep that I've ever been in. And, what seemed like five minutes later, I was waking up in a place that seemed oddly familiar…

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So there you have it. My first chapter.:) I promise that the next one will be longer, I just wanted to introduce my character before I got into the story too much. So please review, I'll give you a cookie!  
-Teh Sad Panda 


	2. In Which A Friend Is Made

First off, thanks a bunches to all of those who reviewd. I really appreciate it. And to those who think I've just begun KH2, I haven't. I'm at the end, but I'm trying to lvl up to beat my obsession, Sephiroth.

To those of you who say this is going to be a Mary Sue, no, it's not! If it seems like it is, I'm sorry. I've tried to write stories with an unoriginonal character as the main narrorator, but I couldn't get the personalities right, so, to solve the problem, I created my own. (I like the Aerith/Axel idea, but I don't think I could write her character very well.)

Anyways! Onto the story!

**Last time:**

_I scooted Bella off of my pillow and crawled into bed. She whined, but the curled up against my stomach. I smiled and pulled her closer. My last thoughts were of the man with red hair. Then, as if someone turned my "on" switch "off," I was in the deepest sleep that I've ever been in. And, what seemed like five minutes later, I was waking up in a place that seemed oddly familiar…_

_Woah._ _That had to have been the best sleep ever._

I yawned, covering my mouth with one hand, and petting Bella with my right. I rubbed my eyes, and started to stretch-

But my arm hit something. Something… Solid. Warm. And… Fleshy. _That couldn't be right… _One by one, my eyes opened, and I gasped.

This wasn't my room. I looked to the right. _A window? My bed isn't by a window!_ I looked to the left. My eyes went wider than they've ever been before. There was someone that was in the bed. Sleeping beside me. Someone that shouldn't be there.

This was _not_ possible. Not at all. He shouldn't be there. I shouldn't be there. Where the _hell_ was I! I began to panic, and I did the first thing that came to mind.

I screamed.

Bella jumped up, began barking, and hid under the covers. He, the person, leaped out of the bed, startled, and began running around. I stopped screaming. He halted, turned, and looked at me. His bright blue eyes blinked once, twice, and his mouth fell open is shock. He pointed a finger at me, and tried to form a sentence.

"Y-Y-You!" Now it was my turn to blink once, twice. "Who are you! And what are you doing in my bed! And why is there a puppy! And how did you get here!" He stopped his yelling, his arm dropped, and he started to pant, his blonde hair falling over his blue eyes. I almost laughed. If this wasn't happening, then I would.

If this weren't happening, I wouldn't be here. Face to face with a character I was just controlling a few hours ago.

Roxas.

He collapsed to the ground, still panting, still staring at me. I realized that I was in my pajamas, and clutched the blankets to my chest. I tried to form words, but they didn't come out, so I was left gaping like a fish.

I guess that he could tell that I was as stupefied as he was. He combed his fingers through his hair, and sighed. I sat on his bed, trying to figure out how to tell him that I'm from a place where he's a video game character. _He'll think that I'm loony if I say that! Best to keep that bit of information a secret. _Finally, he broke the silence:

"Look, I'm sorry for yelling. You just scared the hell out of me." I snorted. A hint of a smile appeared on his face. "Okay… I guess I'm not the only one who was startled. So um… I'm Roxas. What's your name?" He looked at me, expectantly.

"... My name's Astoria. The puppy that's currently chewing on your shoe is named Bella."

His eyes went wide, and he leaped up and took his shoe from Bella. She barked playfully, and jumped on him, licking his face as he laughed. I giggled, and then started laughing. Roxas started laughing even more, and neither one of us could stop. Finally, a few moments later, we stopped to catch our breaths, clutching our sides and wiping away tears. Bella looked at us, her head cocked to one side, clearly confused, sending us both into another fit of giggles. Finally able to control ourselves, I decided to try my introductions again.

"Like I said, my name's Astoria, and that's Bella." She barked a hello, making Roxas grin. "Um… As for how I got here, I'm not entirely sure… I remember going to sleep in my bed, and then I woke up here. But next time I mysteriously teleport somewhere, I'll remember _not_ to land in someone's bed!" I grinned, and he returned it. Then, his smile went away, and he went in thought.

"So… You don't know how you got here. That's really odd. Hmm… Oh well!" I stared at him, dumbfounded. He smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, you don't know how you got here, and neither do I. There's no use in worrying about it, so we'll just deal with it until we figure out how you got here. Okay?" I nodded. "Good. Now… Let's get you some real clothes." He chuckled, and I nodded, blushing.

Twenty minutes later, we were walking down the street. Roxas had let me borrow a pair of his pants, but let me keep my tank top on (I was thankful it had a built-in bra, or else I would have been really embarrassed). The pants were black with silver pockets, and slightly baggy. I had to wear one of his belts with them, but they looked good with my tank top. I had managed to comb my hair to where it looked presentable, and had borrowed his mom's toothbrush. My only problem? I was shoeless, and the ground hurt my feet.

"Ow!" I stopped walking and bent down. I had stepped on _another_ rock, my third one. Bella barked playfully as I rubbed my sore foot. Roxas turned around and frowned. Then he blinked, and I could practically see the light bulb go off on his head.

"We'll never get to the Usual Spot at this rate, not if you keep having to stop." I started to protest, but he continued, his blue eyes sparkling. "You keep stepping on rocks, and you will until we get some shoes, right?" I nodded. "So I'll carry you!"

"What!" I sputtered. "You… You can't carry me! I'm too heavy!" Roxas started walking towards me, grinning. "We're almost there, I'll be okay. Roxas, wait! Roxas, stop it! Ack!"

He had picked me up like I was nothing and thrown me over his shoulder. I blushed furiously as he laughed.

"Fine. Fine! You can carry me the rest of the way, but _not like this!" _He put me down, still laughing, as Bella yipped and jumped. I glared at him for as long as I could, but I couldn't stop a smile from forming. I rolled my eyes, and positioned myself behind him, and jumped onto his back.

He didn't lose his balance, and surprisingly walked as if I weighed nothing. We continued down the road, with Bella at our heels.

I could hear voices, three of them, all belonging to people around my age. Hayner. Pence. Olette. We were at the Usual Spot. Roxas let me down off of his back right in front of the entrance, and started to stretch. I shifted uncomfortably while Bella was sniffing around.

"C'mon!" Roxas grabbed my arm and tugged me into the Usual Spot. "Hey guys." Hayner, Pence, and Olette looked up and said their greetings. Then they turned their gazes towards me and blinked. I blushed slightly, embarrassed of the attention. "Guys, this is my friend Astoria, and her puppy, Bella. She just moved here. Astoria, these are my friends! The stupid-looking blonde is Hayner."

"Roxas, only you could befriend someone so quickly. And just because you're stupid, doesn't mean that everyone else is!" Hayner smirked after the last statement. Roxas just grinned and continued with the introductions.

"The brunette on the couch is Pence. He's really, really smart."

"Compared to you, Roxas, everyone's smart," Pence retorted, waving to me. Roxas stuck his tongue out at him.

"And I'm Olette!" a pretty brown-haired girl wearing an orangeshirt with khaki caprissaid. "Since you're here, do you want to go shopping?" The boys groaned. "It's been a while since I've gone shopping with a girl. Please?" I blinked, taken back, and nodded.

She started to drag me off, but Roxas stopped her.

"Olette. Do you have another pair of shoes? Astoria forgot hers." The trio blinked. "I kinda made her hurry, and she didn't get her shoes on in time." Roxas grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. Hayner and Pence rolled their eyes, while Olette laughed.

"Yeah, I have a pair here. I don't wear them anymore since I got my sandals. You can have them, Astoria." She handed me a pair of sneakers. They were black with a red stripe and red laces. I couldn't picture her wearing anything like this, it was too dark.

"Um… Thanks a lot." Olette just nodded, smiling a kind smile. "Uh… You guys can call me Tori. Only my mom calls me Astoria." Everyone nodded, and grinned. Olette grabbed my hand and tugged me outside, with Bella trotting behind us.

"Wow. I'm glad that you're going with me. It really has been a long time sine I've shopped with a girl. And I noticed that you might want a new shirt. I guess Roxas dragged you out of bed?" I nodded, blushing. Olette just laughed. "Oh, I didn't mean it to be insulting! Roxas is kind of… Impulsive. I have some extra munny, so it's no big deal."

We walked down to the Market Place and she tugged me into a random store. Bella had to wait outside; there was a "No Pets Allowed" sign. We looked through the shirts, and every time she pulled out some bright color I grimaced, and she giggled. If you want the truth, I suppose I was kind of jealous of her. She seemed like the kind of girl that everyone had a crush one, with her gentle eyes and warm smile. She was really pretty, too.

"Hey! How about this one?" I looked up at the object in question. It was a tank top, so that was a plus, and it wasn't bright, which was another plus. It was a deep red, with a tattered look on the bottom. It was a little low cut, but not too much. It had four straps, two on each side, which criss-crossed on the front and the back. I held it up, and Olette squealed.

"It looks so good! It matches with your pants, the shoes, and it looks gorgeous on you. You _have_ to get it!" I chuckled, and followed her to the cash register. She took a detour at the jewelry station while I waited, and came back with a plain black choker. "I think you should get this, too. It would set the outfit off." I just laughed as we made our way to the register. Olette paid for the shirt and the choker, and then made me go put them on. I came back out, and she grinned.

"I knew it would look good. I have the greatest eye for fashion!" I rolled my eyes.

"You really like shopping, don't you?" I asked. We were walking back to the Usual Spot. Bella was running around us. We had thrown my sleep top in a trashcan on the way.

"Yeah, I do, but I don't get to go very often. The guys are… Well… They're guys, and they don't really like going with me. But I put up with them a lot, so I'm able to make them every now and then." I chuckled. "It was really nice of you, letting me drag you off." I shook my head.

"It was nothing. I just… Moved here, and I only know Roxas, so it's good that I've made a new friend. Plus, I haven't gone shopping in a while, so it was fun!" Olette laughed, Bella barked happily, and we continued down the ally.

"So what's it like being with three guys all of the time?" Olette just smiled, and ceased all movement.

I stopped and stared at her. Olette was still, and wasn't even blinking. I waved my hand in front of her face, but there was no response. A little freaked out, I looked around, and was taken aback. There was no movement, no sound. The wind wasn't blowing; there were no birds chirping, no laughter. Everything was still. No… _Frozen._

I picked up Bella and held her to me. The stillness was bothering me. I couldn't hear anything; everything was silent.

"Oh, man! This is _so_ weird! How do I get everything back to normal?" I looked over at Olette. She was still standing there, frozen in mid-movement, that kind smile on her face.

Suddenly, Bella started barking like mad, and then began to growl.

"What's the matter, girl?" I asked, startled. She leaped out of my hands and stood in front of me, almost protectively, although I wasn't too sure of what kind of protection a puppy could be. Curiously, I looked up, and gasped.

There was someone in front of me. Someone in a long black cloak.

Kay well, there's the second chapter. Sorry it took me so long, I've had some personal issues going on. I'm working on the 3rd chap. already, and I plan to have it finished soon. As always, read and review!

-TehSadPanda

First off, thanks a bunches to all of those who reviewd. I really appreciate it. And to those who think I've just begun KH2, I haven't. I'm at the end, but I'm trying to lvl up to beat my obsession, Sephiroth.

To those of you who say this is going to be a Mary Sue, yes, it is. BUT! There's a reason. I've tried to write stories with a character as the main narrorator, but I couldn't get the personalities right, so, to solve the problem, I created my own. (I like the Aerith/Axel idea, but I don't think I could write her character very well.)

Anyways! Onto the story!

**Last time:**

_I scooted Bella off of my pillow and crawled into bed. She whined, but the curled up against my stomach. I smiled and pulled her closer. My last thoughts were of the man with red hair. Then, as if someone turned my "on" switch "off," I was in the deepest sleep that I've ever been in. And, what seemed like five minutes later, I was waking up in a place that seemed oddly familiar…_

_Woah._ _That had to have been the best sleep ever._

I yawned, covering my mouth with one hand, and petting Bella with my right. I rubbed my eyes, and started to stretch-

But my arm hit something. Something… Solid. Warm. And… Fleshy. _That couldn't be right… _One by one, my eyes opened, and I gasped.

This wasn't my room. I looked to the right. _A window? My bed isn't by a window!_ I looked to the left. My eyes went wider than they've ever been before. There was someone that was in the bed. Sleeping beside me. Someone that shouldn't be there.

This was _not_ possible. Not at all. He shouldn't be there. I shouldn't be there. Where the _hell_ was I! I began to panic, and I did the first thing that came to mind.

I screamed.

Bella jumped up, began barking, and hid under the covers. He, the person, leaped out of the bed, startled, and began running around. I stopped screaming. He halted, turned, and looked at me. His bright blue eyes blinked once, twice, and his mouth fell open is shock. He pointed a finger at me, and tried to form a sentence.

"Y-Y-You!" Now it was my turn to blink once, twice. "Who are you! And what are you doing in my bed! And why is there a puppy! And how did you get here!" He stopped his yelling, his arm dropped, and he started to pant, his blonde hair falling over his blue eyes. I almost laughed. If this wasn't happening, then I would.

If this weren't happening, I wouldn't be here. Face to face with a character I was just controlling a few hours ago.

Roxas.

He collapsed to the ground, still panting, still staring at me. I realized that I was in my pajamas, and clutched the blankets to my chest. I tried to form words, but they didn't come out, so I was left gaping like a fish.

I guess that he could tell that I was as stupefied as he was. He combed his fingers through his hair, and sighed. I sat on his bed, trying to figure out how to tell him that I'm from a place where he's a video game character. _He'll think that I'm loony if I say that! Best to keep that bit of information a secret. _Finally, he broke the silence:

"Look, I'm sorry for yelling. You just scared the hell out of me." I snorted. A hint of a smile appeared on his face. "Okay… I guess I'm not the only one who was startled. So um… I'm Roxas. What's your name?" He looked at me, expectantly.

"... My name's Astoria. The puppy that's currently chewing on your shoe is named Bella."

His eyes went wide, and he leaped up and took his shoe from Bella. She barked playfully, and jumped on him, licking his face as he laughed. I giggled, and then started laughing. Roxas started laughing even more, and neither one of us could stop. Finally, a few moments later, we stopped to catch our breaths, clutching our sides and wiping away tears. Bella looked at us, her head cocked to one side, clearly confused, sending us both into another fit of giggles. Finally able to control ourselves, I decided to try my introductions again.

"Like I said, my name's Astoria, and that's Bella." She barked a hello, making Roxas grin. "Um… As for how I got here, I'm not entirely sure… I remember going to sleep in my bed, and then I woke up here. But next time I mysteriously teleport somewhere, I'll remember _not_ to land in someone's bed!" I grinned, and he returned it. Then, his smile went away, and he went in thought.

"So… You don't know how you got here. That's really odd. Hmm… Oh well!" I stared at him, dumbfounded. He smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, you don't know how you got here, and neither do I. There's no use in worrying about it, so we'll just deal with it until we figure out how you got here. Okay?" I nodded. "Good. Now… Let's get you some real clothes." He chuckled, and I nodded, blushing.

Twenty minutes later, we were walking down the street. Roxas had let me borrow a pair of his pants, but let me keep my tank top on (I was thankful it had a built-in bra, or else I would have been really embarrassed). The pants were black with silver pockets, and slightly baggy. I had to wear one of his belts with them, but they looked good with my tank top. I had managed to comb my hair to where it looked presentable, and had borrowed his mom's toothbrush. My only problem? I was shoeless, and the ground hurt my feet.

"Ow!" I stopped walking and bent down. I had stepped on _another_ rock, my third one. Bella barked playfully as I rubbed my sore foot. Roxas turned around and frowned. Then he blinked, and I could practically see the light bulb go off on his head.

"We'll never get to the Usual Spot at this rate, not if you keep having to stop." I started to protest, but he continued, his blue eyes sparkling. "You keep stepping on rocks, and you will until we get some shoes, right?" I nodded. "So I'll carry you!"

"What!" I sputtered. "You… You can't carry me! I'm too heavy!" Roxas started walking towards me, grinning. "We're almost there, I'll be okay. Roxas, wait! Roxas, stop it! Ack!"

He had picked me up like I was nothing and thrown me over his shoulder. I blushed furiously as he laughed.

"Fine. Fine! You can carry me the rest of the way, but _not like this!" _He put me down, still laughing, as Bella yipped and jumped. I glared at him for as long as I could, but I couldn't stop a smile from forming. I rolled my eyes, and positioned myself behind him, and jumped onto his back.

He didn't lose his balance, and surprisingly walked as if I weighed nothing. We continued down the road, with Bella at our heels.

I could hear voices, three of them, all belonging to people around my age. Hayner. Pence. Olette. We were at the Usual Spot. Roxas let me down off of his back right in front of the entrance, and started to stretch. I shifted uncomfortably while Bella was sniffing around.

"C'mon!" Roxas grabbed my arm and tugged me into the Usual Spot. "Hey guys." Hayner, Pence, and Olette looked up and said their greetings. Then they turned their gazes towards me and blinked. I blushed slightly, embarrassed of the attention. "Guys, this is my friend Astoria, and her puppy, Bella. She just moved here. Astoria, these are my friends! The stupid-looking blonde is Hayner."

"Roxas, only you could befriend someone so quickly. And just because you're stupid, doesn't mean that everyone else is!" Hayner smirked after the last statement. Roxas just grinned and continued with the introductions.

"The brunette on the couch is Pence. He's really, really smart."

"Compared to you, Roxas, everyone's smart," Pence retorted, waving to me. Roxas stuck his tongue out at him.

"And I'm Olette!" a pretty brown-haired girl wearing an orangeshirt with khaki caprissaid. "Since you're here, do you want to go shopping?" The boys groaned. "It's been a while since I've gone shopping with a girl. Please?" I blinked, taken back, and nodded.

She started to drag me off, but Roxas stopped her.

"Olette. Do you have another pair of shoes? Astoria forgot hers." The trio blinked. "I kinda made her hurry, and she didn't get her shoes on in time." Roxas grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. Hayner and Pence rolled their eyes, while Olette laughed.

"Yeah, I have a pair here. I don't wear them anymore since I got my sandals. You can have them, Astoria." She handed me a pair of sneakers. They were black with a red stripe and red laces. I couldn't picture her wearing anything like this, it was too dark.

"Um… Thanks a lot." Olette just nodded, smiling a kind smile. "Uh… You guys can call me Tori. Only my mom calls me Astoria." Everyone nodded, and grinned. Olette grabbed my hand and tugged me outside, with Bella trotting behind us.

"Wow. I'm glad that you're going with me. It really has been a long time sine I've shopped with a girl. And I noticed that you might want a new shirt. I guess Roxas dragged you out of bed?" I nodded, blushing. Olette just laughed. "Oh, I didn't mean it to be insulting! Roxas is kind of… Impulsive. I have some extra munny, so it's no big deal."

We walked down to the Market Place and she tugged me into a random store. Bella had to wait outside; there was a "No Pets Allowed" sign. We looked through the shirts, and every time she pulled out some bright color I grimaced, and she giggled. If you want the truth, I suppose I was kind of jealous of her. She seemed like the kind of girl that everyone had a crush one, with her gentle eyes and warm smile. She was really pretty, too.

"Hey! How about this one?" I looked up at the object in question. It was a tank top, so that was a plus, and it wasn't bright, which was another plus. It was a deep red, with a tattered look on the bottom. It was a little low cut, but not too much. It had four straps, two on each side, which criss-crossed on the front and the back. I held it up, and Olette squealed.

"It looks so good! It matches with your pants, the shoes, and it looks gorgeous on you. You _have_ to get it!" I chuckled, and followed her to the cash register. She took a detour at the jewelry station while I waited, and came back with a plain black choker. "I think you should get this, too. It would set the outfit off." I just laughed as we made our way to the register. Olette paid for the shirt and the choker, and then made me go put them on. I came back out, and she grinned.

"I knew it would look good. I have the greatest eye for fashion!" I rolled my eyes.

"You really like shopping, don't you?" I asked. We were walking back to the Usual Spot. Bella was running around us. We had thrown my sleep top in a trashcan on the way.

"Yeah, I do, but I don't get to go very often. The guys are… Well… They're guys, and they don't really like going with me. But I put up with them a lot, so I'm able to make them every now and then." I chuckled. "It was really nice of you, letting me drag you off." I shook my head.

"It was nothing. I just… Moved here, and I only know Roxas, so it's good that I've made a new friend. Plus, I haven't gone shopping in a while, so it was fun!" Olette laughed, Bella barked happily, and we continued down the ally.

"So what's it like being with three guys all of the time?" Olette just smiled, and ceased all movement.

I stopped and stared at her. Olette was still, and wasn't even blinking. I waved my hand in front of her face, but there was no response. A little freaked out, I looked around, and was taken aback. There was no movement, no sound. The wind wasn't blowing; there were no birds chirping, no laughter. Everything was still. No… _Frozen._

I picked up Bella and held her to me. The stillness was bothering me. I couldn't hear anything; everything was silent.

"Oh, man! This is _so_ weird! How do I get everything back to normal?" I looked over at Olette. She was still standing there, frozen in mid-movement, that kind smile on her face.

Suddenly, Bella started barking like mad, and then began to growl.

"What's the matter, girl?" I asked, startled. She leaped out of my hands and stood in front of me, almost protectively, although I wasn't too sure of what kind of protection a puppy could be. Curiously, I looked up, and gasped.

There was someone in front of me. Someone in a long black cloak.

Kay well, there's the second chapter. Sorry it took me so long, I've had some personal issues going on. I'm working on the 3rd chap. already, and I plan to have it finished soon. As always, read and review!

-TehSadPanda


	3. In Which An Encounter Occurs

3rd chapter, yay! I didn't think that I would get it up so soon, but I guess I really want to get another chap. up. Thanks again to all of you reviewers, even the one who said it was "desperately cheesy." I guess I gotta figure out how to make is not so cheesy, but then, I'm a cheesy person! Lol.

Yet again (I forgot to do this in Chap. 2) I do not own Kingdom Hearts 2, or any of it's characters. It belongs to Square Enix and Disney. I wish I owned it, though. I would make some changes, like allowing you to view past cut scenes.**

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**Last Time:**

_There was someone in front of me. Someone in a long black cloak._

I stood my ground, almost as still as the frozen Olette. I stared at the black-clad stranger before I regained my senses and began to back up. Or I would have, if we hadn't made it to the alley before the Usual Spot, and I wasn't already up against a wall. Nervous now, I gulped.

The stranger started towards me, and I all but "eeped." He reached a hand forward, and I squeezed my eyes shut, awaiting the contact, but it never came. What I did feel was a ripple in the atmosphere.

Cursing my curiosity, I looked up, and my eyes widened. There were now two figures, both wearing black coats almost identical to each other. They were facing each other, almost as if they were having a showdown.

The newcomer was leaner than the one who had "cornered" me. He wasn't quite as tall, but it looked like he had more muscle, and his stance had that look of defiance.

The first figure stood his ground, then shrugged, and disappeared through a dark portal. The newcomer chuckled. Hoping that he wouldn't notice me, I began to edge towards the Usual Spot. Bella let out growl, then a bark, and the figure (my "rescuer?") looked towards me.

"I wouldn't try to run. I'd have to chase you, and you wouldn't like that." The voice, a somewhat lazy tone that wasn't very deep, but not at all high-pitched, revealed that its speaker was male. It also sparked something else in the far corners of my mind.

"You know, I'm glad that they sent me to investigate you. You're great to look at, and I can guarantee that the other members wouldn't have as much patience as me." He cocked his head to the side and folded his arms across his chest. "Oh well. I guess you're lucky, too."

He lifted an arm up, and pulled his hood back. I stared at his fiery red hair, and then my gaze locked with his, and I was drowning in his green and gold orbs. Realization hit me. It was _him._

"The name's Axel. It might do you good to remember it, as you'll probably be seeing more of me now." I blinked, confused, but he just grinned, showing off straight white teeth.

I was still up against the wall, and Bella was still growling, but not so much. I stared at Axel in disbelief. I couldn't believe that he was here! _But you _are_ in a video game, stupid. One that _he's_ a part of!_

"You're not a mute, are you?" My head shot up. He had broken me out of my stupor. "I really hope you're not. Mutes aren't any fun. They can't talk, and I like carrying on conversations, especially with pretty girls." Axel looked at me quizzically, obviously expecting an answer.

"No… I'm not a mute." Axel let out a sigh and looked so relieved that I couldn't help but burst into laughter. He stared at me, and his mouth twitched. I regained my composure and asked, "…What?" Axel shook his head.

"It's nothing… You're just really pretty when you laugh." I felt my face heat up, and thought that it was probably as red as my new shirt. Now it was Axel's turn to laugh. "You're cute when you blush, too! I'm really glad that I got this mission. This is gonna be great."

He was grinning, oblivious to me for the moment. I cocked my head to the side, confused. Bella wasn't concerned with my safety anymore, she was off sniffing around. The traitor. Olette was still frozen, but for the moment I was more concerned about something else.

"What do you mean, you were sent here to investigate me? By who?" Axel stopped his rambling, and looked very guilty. I sent him a glare. Hot game character that I was crushing on or not, I wanted some answers, and dammit I was going to get them!

"Uh… I'm not supposed to say… I probably shouldn't have even told you that much. Look, I'm sorry, but…" I cut him off with another glare. He put his arms in front of him for defense, but that didn't stop me. I started forward.

"I don't care what you're not supposed to say, I want to know why you've been 'assigned' to 'investigate' me, and why is it a mission!" I was still advancing on him. Man, I love it when my temper flares. "You're going to tell me _right_ _now_, or I am going to- Ack!" Bella hand gotten between my legs and, while weaving in and out of them while I was walking, tripped me. I fell forward, and for a split second could see my head getting smashed on the concrete, but it didn't.

I was now pressed up against a hard, chiseled chest, held captive by strong arms. Blushing furiously, I looked up. Axel, being at least a foot taller than I was, looked down and smiled.

"What, did you think I wouldn't catch you?" He was still smiling softly,and had a kind look in his eyes.I felt my heart melt. "I'll always catch you." Butterflies in stomach? Check. Rapid heart beat? Check. Blush? Check. "You're my responsibility, I have to watch out for you. You know, make sure you don't get hurt."

Instant heartbreak? Double check. Payback? _Oh yes…_

In the split second that it took for him to catch me, my handprint was imprinted on his cheek in less time. He blinked, obviously stunned, and held a hand up to his wound. _Now_ I was angry.

"I am _no one's_ responsibility! Do you hear me? No one's! I don't care if I'm your mission, or whatever. From now on, if you're going to catch me, do it for your own reason, not because I'm some stupid mission! Don't you have a heart?"

I saw his eyes go cold, and instantly regretted my words.

"Fine, from now on, I'll do it for personal reasons. But you're still my mission." My hearted ached at his words and the tone of his voice. I longed to see that soft look in his eyes again. "As for having a heart… Nobodies can't have hearts," He spat out. I looked at him curiously. "And just so you know, this isn't for the mission."

He grabbed my arm with one hand, and with the other pulled me to him. Before I even had time to think, his lips descended on mine, and I was breathless. I heard a slight moan, realized it was from me, and blushed. I tried to pull away, but his grip was too strong, and he pulled me tighter to him. This time, though, it was Axel who groaned, and then pushed me away from him.

I stood, panting, glaring at him, hurt and confusion in my gaze. Axel stood a few feet away, equally breathless. He wiped his mouth, smirked cruelly, eyes still cold, and disappeared into a black portal.

Iwent to chase after him, but I felt another ripple in the air. Halting, I turned around. Olette was moving again! She had continued walking, that smile still on her face.

"The guys aren't that bad. I always have to break up arguments, offer solutions, and keep them on their toes about homework, but it's not as horrible as you might think. It's really great having three friends as great as them… Tori? Are you okay?"

I was staring at her, racking my brain for the reason she was saying that. Then it hit me. We were talking about her, Roxas, Hayner, and Pence before she was frozen. So that meant… _She doesn't know what happened._ Oh boy.

"Uh. Yeah. I'm fine. C'mon, let's get back to your boys, before they have fits worrying about us." Olette giggled, and I followed her, Bella trailing behind us.

What did Axel mean, "Nobodies can't have hearts?" I was determined to find out.

I put my fingers to my lips. Had he really kissed me? I could still feel the heat of his body and the pressure of his lips, so I guess he really did. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I jogged up beside Olette and listened to her as she planned our next shopping trip before we walked into the Usual Spot.

* * *

Well, there's the third chapter! I really hope that you guys liked it. I'm trying really hard on this story.

Oh, btw. I've got my sister drawing a few pieces for this fic. Just pics of Astoria, and her with Axel, Roxas, Sora, and anyone else she feels like drawing in. I'm going to try and put them up soon, so I'll be sure to put the link on my profile.

As always, R&R! Try to keep the flames to a minimum, though. I'm rather sensitive.

-Teh SadPanda


	4. In Which Ideas Are Voiced

So I _finally_ finished the fourth chapter. Took me long enough, right? Sorry for taking so long. --;; I promise to get the fifth up as soon as possible!

Disclaimer - Me no own KingdomHearts II. If me did, me would be verreh happeh.

* * *

**Struggle !  
Will Setzer be our  
Reigning champion  
Yet again?**

That was the sign that Hayner held up as Olette, Bella, and I walked back into the Usual Spot. I blinked, confused, and looked at Olette, but she just grinned.

"This year, _I'm_ going to be the Struggle champion!" Hayner was grinning from ear to ear, his confidence obvious. Olette giggled, Pence rolled his eyes, and I cracked a smile. Roxas let out a cocky laughed.

"No way! I'll beat you, Hayner, _and_ I'll win the title of Struggle Champ! Then Seifer will have to shut his ugly mouth!" The two blondes grinned and did the thumbs-up sign to each other. I couldn't help but laugh, and then a thought occurred to me.

"Um … is it too late to sign up?" The quartet looked at me, startled, until Roxas, and then Hayner, grinned.

"Astoria, do you want to enter?" I nodded. "Do you know how to fight? I nodded again, and the blonde boys' smiles seemed to get bigger. "How well?" They looked eager, a little _too_ eager. I smiled mischievously.

"Well … You'll just have to wait and see!" The blondes groaned, while the two brunettes laughed. I grinned, a little confident. I had gone from beginner to teacher-in-training, and I'd only been taking my kickboxing class for two years. I assumed I was good. I guess we'd find out.

"Good luck, Tori!" Olette smiled, and I couldn't help but smile back.

"Yeah, maybe you can put those two in their place, and maybe Seifer, too!" Pence winked, and I laughed as Hayner and Roxas began to argue.

A few minutes later, Olette got them to settle down, and we were off to sign up for the Struggle match.

I watched the four teens walk ahead of me. They thought that I needed to follow, but … I already knew the way. I knew this area like the back of my hand. After all … I'd played in it.

My thoughts drifted, and I remembered my encounter this morning. _Axel …_ He had kissed me, yes, but … it wasn't a pleasant kiss. I remembered my moan. _Well, not _that_ pleasant._ It was more of an angry kiss, full of frustration. I don't know how, but I had made him mad.

Depressed, I clasped the teardrop pendant that my grandmother had given me last year. It was a silvery-blue, and I always wore it. She said that it reminded her of me, because even though I would get sad or upset sometimes, I could always see the light in the dark (A/N- Hence the coloring!). Even now, gripping the pendant, I could feel myself getting into a better mood.

Just in time, too. I watched Roxas deliberately slow his pace so that he could walk beside me.

"What's up?" I asked, smiling at him. He smiled back, and it went all the way to his eyes, making them sparkle in the sunlight.

"Nothing. I just thought I'd come keep you company." I chuckled. "Oh, I didn't tell you earlier, but I …" He broke off, and a light blush ran across his tan cheeks. "I think you look really good in that outfit." The blush got brighter, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Thanks, really. Sorry about laughing, but you were just funny looking."

"Hey! I'm not funny looking!" He scowled, pretending to look hurt.

"Obviously, you haven't looked in the mirror lately." He pouted, and I grinned triumphantly. We walked in silence for a few moments, and then I voiced a question that had been nagging me in the back of my mind.

"Roxas …" He looked up. "How can you accept that I appeared out of nowhere so easily? You just smiled and got me some pants, and took me to meet your friends. I'm still trying to accept it …" I broke off, unable to get the words out. He just gave me a soft smile, and put his hand on my shoulder.

"Honestly? I'm still trying to accept it. It's weird, and no one knows how you got here. Nothing like this has ever happened before. Except for the time those … things stole pictures. They even stole the word!" Roxas threw his hands up in exasperation, and I laughed. "But the way I look at it, we can't do anything about it. You're here, and that's that, so why make a big deal about it? If we're meant to know why, then we will. It's not big deal if we don't find out, ya know?" I nodded, and we continued to walk down the road. Olette, Hayner, and Pence were about a yard ahead of us, so I was certain that they hadn't heard our conversation.

I couldn't help but think. Why _was_ I here? And how did I get here? I almost wished that Mom had gotten the strategy guide along with the game, that way I would know what to expect. No, that would make it worse. Then everyone would want to know how I knew things, and I would have to come up with more excuses. I was just glad that Roxas was with me for now. Come to think of it… He reminded me a lot of Sora from the first game. It was probably just a coincidence.

"Hey!" I looked up. Roxas was grinning, and his eyes were a bright blue and sparkling. He looked like such a kid! "Maybe those silver things showing up and you being here have something to do with each other!" I cocked an eyebrow.

"What do you mean? I've never seen these silver things before." _Except when I was controlling you. _

"Well … I don't know, exactly." Roxas frowned, and resembled a child that had just had his favorite toy taken away. "It just came to mind. We don't really know anything about either of you, so it's a possibility that you might have something to do with each other." I nodded.

"You could be right. I guess we'll have to look into it more. Later, though, because I think we're at the struggle sign-up!" I pointed at a table where a middle-aged man was sitting. Hayner was already there, writing his name down. I could practically feel Roxas' excitement coming off in waves. I shook my head, amused, and then followed him to the sign-up desk.

Or I would have, if someone hadn't bumped into me and made me fall. A very tall, very built someone, in a white trench coat. I brought my head up, and locked eyes with a piercing gaze of –

"Hey! You should watch where you're walking. It's not nice to bump into people. You might get hurt." I scowled, feeling my face heat up. Instantly I jumped up.

"Actually, the way I saw it, _you_ were the one that bumped into _me,_ so I think that _you_ owe _me_ an apology!" Two of the guy's lackeys, a tall dark-skinned guy and a shorter pale girl, laughed, while the other one, a black-mage look alike, stood awkwardly off to the side. I looked to their leader. He just smirked, turquoise eyes dancing with mischief.

"You know, I haven't seen you around here before…" He cocked a blonde eyebrow, causing it to go under his beanie.

"That's because she just moved here." Roxas had somehow gotten beside me, and was now glaring at the troublemaker. "Astoria doesn't need you, Seifer, to make her stay … _unpleasant_, so get lost!"

Seifer's lackeys, minus Vivi (Who was still off to the side, looking a little apprehensive), got in fighting stance behind Seifer. They didn't look that tough, but they weren't part of the disciplinary committee at Balamb for nothing; Fuu and Rai were challenging opponents. Ready for a fight, I got in fighting stance, and out of the corner of my eye, saw Hayner, Pence, and Olette watching in suspense. But Seifer held a hand out in front of his lackeys.

"Astoria, huh?" I nodded. "I supposed she wouldn't need me to make it unpleasant, especially when she has you, Chicken Wuss." Roxas' face heated up, and I saw he was about to charge Seifer, but I held an arm out, stoppinghim.

"If you guys want a fight, then save it for the Struggle Match. There's no point in doing it here when you're about to do it in the ring." I looked to Roxas. He backed away and nodded. I moved my gaze to Seifer, and he nodded his agreement.

"See you in the ring, Chicken Wuss." Roxas scowled. "Nice meeting you, Astoria. Whenever you feel like hanging out with people who _aren't_ lamers, come and find me." My eyes narrowed, and I glared at him, but he just laughed and walked away, his followers, well … Following.

When he was a good enough distance away, I finally relaxed. It seemed that Seifer would always be a pain in the ass, no matter what game he was in. Shaking my head, I touched Roxas' shoulder.

"C'mon, let's go sign up." His eyes brightened, and he nodded enthusiastically. I chuckled, and walked over to the sign-up table. There was already a list four names long. Roxas and I added ours, and waited for the matches to start.

* * *

Well, I hope you all liked it! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, I really appreciate it. Seeing what you all think makes me smile. :) Please continue to R&R!

-TehSadPanda


	5. In Which A Battle Is Fought

Finally! The fifth chapter! I'm really sorry for the delay on this; I kept trying to upload it for 2 days, but it wouldn't let me. :(

Thank you thank you THANK YOU to all of you who have reviewed! It really means a lot to me when you tell me how much you enjoyed reading what I've written.

**RaiKai**- (I think that's how you spell it) I don't really mind if you use the idea of Axel. Don't worry, but let me read it when you start writing:)

Well, onto the story!

* * *

Struggle. A challenging battle. A fight for glory, fame, and honor. The winner would receive the recognition, the respect, and the admiration of everyone. Not to mention, you would get a kick-ass trophy.

When I first heard about it, I didn't think that, as an onlooker, I would get too sucked in. I didn't think I would be yelling my heart out, cheering Roxas on against his match with Hayner. I didn't think that with every blow landed I would gasp in pain, and cry out in triumph at the same time. I didn't even suspect that, while watching Roxas battling Hayner, I would become enthralled.

During the first few minutes of the battle, it seemed as though the opponents were evenly matched. Neither one could obtain the advantage. Then, suddenly, Hayner began to push Roxas towards the edge of the ring. He wobbled, and narrowly missed the swing from Hayner's bat, and I cried out, cheering for him, wanting him to succeed. Olette and Pence alternated their cheers for both of their friends, and I tried to do the same, but my heart wasn't in it for Hayner.

The crowd cried out, surprised. Roxas had managed to gain the advantage, and was now pushing Hayner back, closer and closer to the edge of the ring. He took a swipe at Hayner's head, missed, and then nimbly dodged a blow to his side. He swung at the back on Hayner's knees, and managed a hit. The older blonde stumbled forward, and almost fell. Then, to ensure that the win was his, Roxas gave Hayner a little shove with the tip of his bat, and sent the blonde stumbling off the ring. The crowd yelled, cheering for Roxas, and for the effort Hayner put into the match. To make it official, the referee climbed onto the ring and held Roxas' hand up, declaring him the winner of Round 1.

Olette and Pence ran off to go see Hayner and make sure that he wasn't too upset. I walked over to Roxas. Or rather, I tried to. The crowd surrounding him made it kind of difficult. Looks like I would have to congratulate him later. Pouting, I walked over to one of the benches and sat down, waiting. I looked at the clock. About five minutes until my match. _I wonder whom I'm up against?_

"Hey. New girl."

My head shot up. I looked to my left, and there was Seifer. Surprisingly, his followers weren't with him. I raised an eyebrow. It wasn't often that Seifer was without Fuu and Rai, as they were called now. Oh well. I was bored, and a conversation could help pass the time.

"I have a name, you know. You _could_ use it." He smirked, and it made me want to hit him. Just once. Not too hard, mind you. Just enough to wipe it off of his face.

"Fine then. _Astoria_. Why did you enter the match?"

I wasn't sure if that was sarcasm or not, but when I looked at him, he looked pretty serious.

"… I don't know. Maybe to see how strong I am? It seemed like fun." He snorted. "All right then, why did you enter?"

To show those lamers you hang out with that I'm the best there ever was in this town." I rolled my eyes and chuckled as he scowled. "You doubt me?" I shook my head, still chuckling.

"No, it's not that. It's just that sometimes overconfidence can be your downfall. You never want to be too cocky or underestimate your opponent. Doing so could cost you. That, and if the opponent you underestimated is really strong, it can hurt like hell."

This time, Seifer laughed. Not that evil "I'm-bad-ass-and-I-know-it" laugh, but a true life. It surprised me.

"What's so funny?" He had finally reduced his laughter to chuckles, and now had that smirk again. My eyes narrowed.

"It's nothing. You seem really serious about this. I'm glad. Now I know that I won't have an easy match." I blinked, and he smiled. "After this match, if you ever get tired of lamers, I'll be here." He waved as he walked away.

_So I'm up against Seifer… It shouldn't be _too_ difficult, but then… I don't want to underestimate him._

I smiled. The mob around Roxas had all but dissipated, so I got up and walked over to him. He was flushed with excitement and grinning from ear to ear. I seemed to absorb some of his happiness- I couldn't help but grin back.

I smacked him on the shoulder and laughed when he pretended to be hurt.

"Nice going earlier. I wasn't sure if you would win for a little bit, but you did really well. Congratulations." I think his grin got bigger. Is that possible? My face hurt just looking at him.

"I could hear you cheering for me." A light blush appeared on my cheeks. "It wasn't just you calling out my name, either. I could really tell that you were cheering for me. That's what made me drive Hayner back towards the end. So… Thanks, Astoria." I grinned and gave him a one-armed hug. He tried to pull me into a bear hug, but I pushed him back.

"You're sweaty, and you smell. Go sit in the shade and cool off." He pouted. I slapped him on the back. "Go on, get! I've got to get ready for my match against Seifer." His eyebrows shot up.

"You're facing _Seifer?_" I nodded. "Be careful. He might be an arrogant bastard, but he's strong." He looked me up and down, nodding. "You look like you have speed and agility on your side, so you can probably gain the advantage if you play your cards right."

I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, _Dad._" He stuck his tongue out at me. "Oh yeah. That was _real_ mature. Go see your friends; I'm sure they want to congratulate you. I'll see you after the match." He nodded, and turned to walk off, but stopped, and turned back around.

"Hey, Astoria?" I "hmmed." "Good luck. I'll cheer for you." Grinning, I gave him the thumbs up sign before walking over to the referee to make sure of the rules.

* * *

Standing on the ring, I suddenly felt very nervous. I wasn't sure if I could beat Seifer. I hoped I could. I tested the bat's weight in my hand experimentally. _Maybe if I can incorporate some of my kickboxing moves while I'm swinging this thing, I can pull this off. _Maybe, just maybe.

Seifer took his place in front of me, and gave me a smirk. I grinned back, and for a second, I saw his eyes twinkle. The ref appeared between us, and held his hand up. I felt my nervousness drain away, and by the time he declared the match begun, it was gone.

My opponent lunged at me, and I somersaulted out of the way. I jumped up, only to roll out of the way as he tried to take a chunk out of my face with his bat. I scowled at him as I stood up, and he just grinned. _Time to show him what I can do_.

Seiferhurled himself at me again, and I leaned out of the way, leaving my leg there, and watched as he tripped and stumbled. I lunged and landed a hit on his side. He grunted in pain, and then jumped back. We circled, and he jumped into the air. He was suspended in air for a moment, before he launched himself towards me.

I had barely rolled out of the way before I was up again and managed to kick him on his back. This time he stumbled, and I saw my opening. I cartwheeled towards him (I am _so_ glad I took the time to learn how to do that) and swung the bat at him. He dodged, barely, and swung, hitting my ribs. I grunted in pain. Those bats _hurt!_

I didn't stay in pain for too long; I was already running towards him. Before he could block my attack, I rolled to the side, jumped up and landed behind him, gave him a good shove, and watched, as he tumbled over the side of the ring not so gracefully.

Seiferstood up, his face flushed, and I shrugged apologetically. Leaning over, I grabbed his hand and pulled him up. His eyes were narrowed, and I felt myself shrink. Taking a deep breath, I put my hand out.

"Truce?" He chuckled, rolled his eyes, and took my hand.

"Truce. Now go bask in glory." I grinned, and nodded.

The ref came over, smiling, took my hand and held it up, declaring me the winner of Round 2, and then left me to the mob of onlookers.

They yelled my name, tugged at my arms, and pulled at my clothes more times than I could count before I could get away. Panting, I hobbled over to Roxas and the others. Olette ran up and gave me a hug, despite the fact that I was sweating. Pence congratulated me and Hayner gave me a high-five. Roxas ran over, picked me up, and twirled me around, grinning like an idiot the whole time I was yelling at him to put me down.

"Thanks a lot, Roxas. Now I'm gonna hurl." He grinned sheepishly, rubbing his head.

"You were awesome, Tori. Really. The way that you kept dodging, and rolling, and the way you shoved Seifer off of the ring… It was awesome!" I laughed.

"I get it, I get it! Thanks." His eyes were sparkling, and I laughed. "I'm going to go get something to drink so I can cool off." Roxas pouted, which he was doing entirely too much today. "I'll be back in time for your next match, chill!" He nodded, and I walked towards the drink stand.

Grabbing a water bottle, I wasted no time in twisting the cap off and drinking some of the gloriously cool liquid. Wiping the back of my hand over my mouth, I walked over to a tree near the ally, and went to sit down, but failed.

How does one fail at sitting down, you ask? Well, it's rather easy when someone pulls you into the ally next to the shade-giving tree.

I yelped, and stumbled as whoever pulled me let me go. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a shiny thing, almost like a wall, go up between the sides of the ally. _What the hell?_

A figure stepped out of the shadows. I knew by the black cloak and the frame of the body who it was. He reached and pulled back his hood. Sunlight glinted off the vibrant red hair, and the green and gold eyes bore into my brown ones.

"Hello, Astoria." I gulped.

"Axel."

"What, no smile? No hug? No… Kiss?" He grinned, almost evilly. I scowled.

"When you deserve one of the three, then you'll get it." He "tched," and began to lazily walk around. I stood stiffly, on my guard.

"Jeez, so touchy." He turned his gaze to me, and my breath hitched. "I can see that you're tired, why don't you sit down?"

"Why are you here, Axel?" He smirked.

"I told you. You're my _responsibility._" I winced. "I'm supposed to check up on you, make sure that you're not getting into trouble or misbehaving."

I sighed. We were being rude, and it was getting us nowhere. So, doing the same thing I did with Seifer, I stuck my hand out. He blinked at it, surprised.

"Being rude to each other isn't going to get us anywhere. So, from now on, we have a truce. No more nasty comments or biting remarks. We'll be… Well. Not rude. Deal?" I held my breath as he stared at me, my hand still waiting. My arm was beginning to get tired. Finally, he smiled, and took my hand.

"We've got a deal. And now, to seal it…" He tugged on my hand, and I stumbled to him. He took advantage of that, and with his other hand, pulled me to him until I was up against his muscular chest. I felt my face heat up, but looked up at him anyway, once again drowning in a pair of green orbs. He leaned his face closer to mine, until I could feel his warm breath on my cheek. For some reason, I felt like crying.

"Why are you doing this to me?" I whispered. He stopped, his lips mere centimeters from mine, and slowly pulled his head back. I could feel the tears starting to well up, and I cursed my femininity when they slowly began to fall. Axel's eyes went wide in shock, and he took a leather glove clad hand and wiped one away. That was all that it took to make them fall even faster.

I buried my face in his chest as I cried, and he pulled me closer, hugging me tight while he whispered comforting words in my ear. I needed to get this out. After all that had happened to me today, I hadn't cried, even though a part of me wanted to. I'd kept it in, but now… It felt good to cry.

A few moments later, I managed to compose myself, and wipe away the excess tears. I attempted to back away, and was surprised to find that he wouldn't let me go. I looked at him, confused.

"You're not moving. You were tired after your fight, and crying just made it worse. So we're going to sit down, and you're going to rest." I blinked. Was Axel being nice? He began to scoot down, and I had no choice but to do the same.

He sat down, leaning against the wall, with his legs spread casually, and pulled down so that my back was up against his chest. He wrapped his arms around me, bringing me back so that I rested my head on my shoulder .I sighed, content.

"Speaking of your match… It looks like trench coat kid is starting to get a thing for you." I rolled my eyes. "Looks like I might have to be jealous and go kick his ass." I just laughed, and then a thought struck me.

"Axel…" He grunted. "Why… Do you act like this towards me? Do you… Well… Care about me or something? Or am I just convenient because I'm your… _Mission._" I spat the last word out with resentment. I hated that fact. "Is that really the only reason that you come to see me?"

I felt him shake his head.

"You're not 'convenient,' as you put it, and I sure as hell don't come around simply because you're my mission. That's part of it, but… The other part…" He sighed. "I don't know how to explain it. I'm a Nobody. I don't feel anything, and yet… You make me warm." I cocked my head up at him in confusion, but he just gave me a sad smile. "Don't worry, you'll understand sooner or later. But for right now, you need to sleep."

"I can't sleep! I've got a match with Roxas soon!" I protested. I really wanted to test my strength out on Roxas to see how far I had progressed.

I could feel Axel tense up behind me.

"That's… Not going to be possible…" He took one of his arms away to run it through his hair, and then put it back in its place around me. "You see… Another reason that I pulled you in here was to get you away from Roxas…" My eyes narrowed. "Look, just listen to me before you get really angry.

"My boss told me to distract you so that he could test Roxas. The short thing with the weird hat that follows trench coat kid?" I nodded. "That's not really him. That's one of the lesser Nobodies in disguise. A barrier is going to go up, and Roxas is going to fight a few of them. To get to him, though… We weren't sure if you would defeat Blondie or not, so… I was sent to distract you…" I knew what he meant.

"You were sent to keep me from entering the match with Roxas." He nodded.

"I'm sorry, I really am, but… Orders are orders." I understood, but I still felt a little bit of resentment. "Besides, I think Roxas is starting to get a crush, too, and I can't have that!" I chuckled as he held me tighter to him. Seems like Axel is a little bit possessive. I sighed, my eyes getting droopy, and let my head fall back on his shoulder.

"Get some sleep, Astoria. I'm guessing you need it." I nodded, not so reluctantly anymore. I grabbed his gloved hand, linked my fingers through his, and felt him chuckle. "I'll stay here until it's time for me to leave, don't worry." I smiled in contentment as he kissed the top of my head softly. I was already beginning to drift.

"Axel..." I murmered. He grunted. "I'm sorry for making you angry yesterday."

The last thing I felt before sleep overtook me was Axel's arms wrapped around me, and our fingers intertwined as he kissed my forehead. What a way to go to sleep.

* * *

I'm so proud of myself on this one. I'm not really good at writing fight scenes, but I think I did okay. Sorry for Astoria being a blubbering female, but I thought she needed to get the stress of the situation out. Lol. I'll try to have the 6th chapter out ASAP.

As always, review people!

-Teh SadPanda


	6. In Which Feelings Are Realized

Wow! This chapter was 10 pages long. I figured that should make up for how long it took me to update. Sorry ab that, btw.

I'm going to make this story follow KH2's storyline as closely as possible, but I'm going to take out some things.

Anyways, onto the story! R&R, as always.

Oh yeah, I don't own Kingdom Hearts II. I wish I did, though. I do, however, own Astoria. Cuz I'm cool like that. :)

* * *

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was that Axel wasn't there. A pout formed on my face. I sighed. This wasn't the time to get pouty, I had to go find Roxas and apologize. I got up and reached for my water bottle, but stopped.

There was a note attached to it.

Squealing from excitement, I snatched up the water bottle, tore off the note, and began to read the messy handwriting.

_Astoria,  
__Sorry I couldn't be here when you woke up.  
__The boss-man called me in, so I had to leave a.s.a.p.  
__He seems to think that you're important to what will happen in the future. __Wants me to keep a "closer eye on you."  
__Lucky you, huh? You get to see more of me.  
__I know you're just positively _thrilled.  
_Another reason that I had to leave was this:  
__After Roxas defeated the Dusks (Those are the Lesser Nobodies I told you about), _I_ was to fight him.  
__Don't worry, I didn't scratch his pretty face, just shook him up a bit.  
__By the way, the man upstairs is dead set on you not interfering with his plans, so…  
__Be careful. I mean it. I don't know what he'll do if you get in his way.  
__I'm not sure why he thinks that you're so important, but I don't like it. __Whenever you come up, he gets this look in his eyes, and, well…  
__I just don't like it.  
__So try to stay out of trouble, okay?_

I nearly laughed. I could practically see Axel saying what he wrote, and it was amusing. But I didn't laugh. "Be careful." Axel might be sarcastic, but something about that line drained all the humor out of me.

How was I important to Kingdom Hearts II? Me, just some girl from the real world? Was my world even really the real world? And, once everything is over, will I still be here, or will I go home? Will I even want to?

I was beginning to get a headache. I was having too many thoughts entirely too quickly. I had things to do, and I had to do them _now._ Number one on my list was to find Roxas.

With that goal implanted in my head, I walked out of the alley. Luckily, Axel had taken down the barrier he had placed at the entrance. The crowds were beginning to dissipate, so the matches had ended probably about ten to fifteen minutes ago. People were in groups of five or six talking about the fights.

When they saw me, they cast disapproving glares in my direction, and as I walked by, they commenced to whisper. I walked on, determined not to let it get to me.

I sighted my target a few yards off near one of the signposts. Roxas was standing around with Pence, Hayner, and Olette. There was a trophy beside them, gleaming in the sunlight. Olette was chatting with Pence, and Hayner was trying to talk with Roxas, but he wasn't responding. He just kept shaking his head. Inside, I winced, filled with guilt.

Olette was the first one to see me as I approached, and gave me a small smile as a greeting. Pence was the next to notice me, and he gave me a friendly wave. Hayner gave me a glance, and then turned his head away. Roxas' gaze met mine, and never left.

I felt a weight in my chest as I looked into his eyes; they gleamed with sadness and hurt, and I knew it was my fault. Taking a deep breath, I did what I came to do.

"Roxas? Can I talk to you for a minute?" I heard Hayner snort, and for a moment I wished that we were back in the ring and he was my opponent. Not wanting to hurt him, I shot him a glare instead.

Roxas stared at me, and for a moment I thought that he would say no. He had every right to, but I had hoped that he would listen. After what seemed like an hour, he nodded. I felt relief wash over me, and I proceeded to grab his wrist and drag him to an empty spot.

When I was satisfied that no one could hear us, I stopped, and turned towards my blonde friend. His eyes, those beautiful blue eyes, still showed traces of hurt, but were now confused. I took a deep breath, and began.

"Look. I'm really sorry that I missed our match. I _promise_ that I didn't do it on purpose." He kept looking at me, and I felt my control weaken. Why did he have to look so calm when I was so nervous? Gritting my teeth, I continued.

"I was so tired from everything that happened today, that when I sat down and rested my head against the wall, I passed out in mere moments!" Which was the truth, even if only in part. "I swear to you, Roxas, I wouldn't have missed the match on purpose. Can you forgive me?"

He was still staring at me, but now his eyes were blank, and I began to chew on my bottom lip, a habit that I do when I'm nervous. I looked up at him from under my lashes, doing what I hoped was a good impression of the "puppy-dog face." I had never been good at those.

Finally, his eyes showed some form of emotion- Happiness.

"It's okay, Astoria. It's probably a good thing that you didn't show up anyway. It saved you the embarrassment of getting your ass kicked by yours truly!" He looked so happy and so confident with that grin on his face and his eyes shining that I almost didn't want to break him out of his daydream.

Almost.

"Yeah, right! You couldn't beat me in a thumb-wrestling match, let _alone_ a Struggle Match! It's more along the lines of _you're_ lucky that I didn't show up, because it saved you the embarrassment of having all your friends watch me open up a can of whoop-ass on you!"

Roxas grinned, and I couldn't help but return it. He wasn't mad, and we were friends again.

"You should thank me for not showing up, you know."

"Oh really?" I nodded, smiling mischievously. Roxas narrowed his eyes. "And why is that?"

"Because. If I had shown up, then I would have given Seifer the opportunity to rag on you about getting you tail creamed. By a _girl_." I grinned at Roxas' scowl.

"Don't worry," I said, giving him a friendly pat on the back. "You can thank me later."

We stood there, smiling at each other, until I remembered what Axel said in the note.

_After Roxas defeated the lesser Nobodies, _I_ was to fight him._

I went from happy to concerned in less than a moment. Trying not to be noticed, I looked Roxas up and down, checking for marks. He _looked_ unhurt, but one of his pant legs looked a little singed. _That would be from Axel,_ I mused.

"So, Roxas, how _did_ your last two matches go? The first one was against Vivi, right?" I tried not to look too concerned, but when I saw Roxas' expression, I couldn't help it. He looked a little uncomfortable, and began to rub the back of his head.

"Um… They went… Alright." He shifted his weight a few times, and looked anywhere but at me. I frowned.

"You know, Roxas… You're not a very good liar." He winced. "Tell me what happened?" I pouted, and he started to protest, but stopped, and mumbled something that sounded like "Damn pouty face."

"Okay… I was lying… It's just that, well, I don't think that you would believe me if I told you." I raised my eyebrow.

"Who was the one that appeared in your bed with her puppy out of nowhere?" He laughed.

"Okay, maybe you will believe me. It's just… When I was fighting Vivi, all of a sudden, Vivi wasn't Vivi. After we fought, he became these weird… Silver things. I don't know what they were, but three of them appeared out of nowhere, and the crowd became frozen, like time had stopped. Then my Struggle bat became this weird sword. It's called a keyblade, and with that I beat 'em, but then…

"Out of nowhere this… Guy shows up. He knows me. He says that I should remember him, that his name is Axel. Black coat, spiky red hair, and green eyes. He calls me 'Number 13. Roxas. The keyblade's chosen one.' He attacked me with these… red spiral things. They're very sharp." He winced, and rubbed his shoulder. Upon looking closer, I saw that there was a tear in his shirt, and a shallow gash. I hadn't noticed it earlier. At least it had stopped bleeding. "Sharper than they look. The cut on my shoulder was the most damage that he did to me. That and he singed my pants. Somehow he can control fire. Anyway, we fought, and I won. I don't know how, but I did, and then…

"Some guy in a red coat shows up. He's got red bandages all over his face, and tells me that this Axel guy is spouting nonsense. Then Axel tells me not to let this guy deceive me. I was getting so confused, that I covered my ears and started yelling everyone's names. 'Hayner. Pence. Olette. Astoria.' Then everything was back to normal, and Hayner, Pence, and Olette were running onto the ring and hugging me and yelling."

He broke off, and looked at the ground. I could tell he was confused. Hell, I was confused. Number 13? The keyblade's _chosen one?_ I thought that was Sora! _What is going on here?_

I looked at Roxas. He looked so confused, so angry, and in a way, hurt. I couldn't blame him, though. If people that I didn't know, who knew me, showed up and started telling me what they had told him, I'd be completely baffled. Not to mention, pissed off.

"Anyway." He was back to looking like his cheery self so quickly I was stunned. I almost believed him. Almost.

"After everything went back to normal, I had to fight the reigning champion, Setzer. He actually tried to get me to throw the match. Can you believe that?" He started laughing. He was doing it for my benefit, so I started to chuckle. _Poor Roxas._

"Obviously, I didn't, and I won. So you should bow down to the Struggle Champion and worship the ground I walk on." He was grinning, and this time, I didn't have to fake a laugh.

"When I bow down to you and worship the ground you walk on, that'll be the day when I start wearing pink dresses with white ribbons in my hair."

Roxas blinked. Then he cocked his head, as if he was picturing something.

"You know, that actually wouldn't look too bad. We can see if Olette has any dresses and ribbons, and we'll get you some prissy white shoes, and she can do your make-up! Just think, Astoria, you could be a girl! You could be girly and prissy and get in trouble a lot, like a damsel in distress!"

He started laughing, and I punched him. No _way_ was I wearing a pink dress with white ribbons in my hair, white shoes, and matching make-up. Damsel in distress? Me? No way in _hell._

Suddenly, Roxas stopped laughing. I looked over at him. He was smiling at me, a smile that I hadn't seen on his face before.

"That way, when you get in trouble, I could be your white knight." And with that, he leaned over and kissed me on my cheek. He pulled back and gave me a grin.

"C'mon, let's go to the Haunted Mansion. There's something that I want to check out, and I think you should come with me. I go tell the others. Hurry up!"

I nodded, in a stupor. Did he really just…? _Yes, he did. And I don't know what I'm going to do about it._ What would I tell him? That I like the guy that attacked him? Oh yeah, that would work _real nicely._ Best just to keep quiet about it, and try not to lead him on.

When Roxas called my name and waved at me, I jogged over to where he was with the others. Olette smiled and gave me a hug, and Pence winked and waved. Then there was Hayner…

The older blonde (Though I'm sure I'm older than him) trudged up to where I was standing, as if he didn't want to be there. He looked at me, and then looked away, his arms folded against his chest.

"Roxas told me what happened. So… I guess I can't be upset. It's just like a girl to get tired after one fight." He smirked the "I'm-better-than-you" smirk, and I wanted to wipe it off of his face.

"Hayner, any time you want to test that theory, and any other theories about girls being weaker than guys, we'll do it. Just name the time and place." I gave him a pretty smile, then laughed when he stepped back, shocked. Olette and Pence started laughing, and Roxas grinned.

"Okay, okay, I think Hayner's had enough of his ego smashed for one day. C'mon, Astoria, let's go." I nodded, and we started to walk off, but Olette called us back.

"Um… Don't you think you should wait until morning? I mean, the sun's setting already. It'll be dark in an hour or two."

"Nah, but we'll be back before it gets dark, don't worry _Mom_." Olette smiled. "I just want to go see something."

I almost asked where I was staying, but caught myself. I had just moved here. Or so they thought. I'd ask Roxas if I could stay with him later on. I quickly asked Olette if she would watch Bella. Right now, Roxas was leaving me, so I hurried and caught up with him.

* * *

The trip there was pretty quiet, but when we got to the woods, I couldn't take it anymore.

"Roxas, why are we coming here? This place is really creepy." I shuddered. He just smiled.

"I have a hunch about this place. I don't know how to explain it, it's just that… after the Axel guy and the red coat person showed up, I felt like I should come here. And I think that we might be able to find something about how you got here, or at least how to get you back. That's why I wanted you to come."

I nodded. I still had a bad feeling about this place, though, and as we walked inside, I got chill bumps. I decided to stick close to Roxas, who was currently taking in the scenery. Looking around, I saw that the mansion would have actually been a magnificent building at some point.

There was a broken table in the center of the parlor. It was badly broken, and looked like it had been destroyed in a battle. Crates blocked off one door, and there were little statuettes of unicorns all over the place. There was an upstairs, which was currently where Roxas was heading. He turned right, and went into a door. _Damn boy,_ I thought. _Can't even wait for me._

I bounded up the stairs and ran to the door he went into. Pushing it open, I saw that the room was white. Everything was white, the table, the chairs, everything. It was almost blinding. There were little pictures all over the walls, and some on the floors. Two of them caught my eye.

One was of Roxas and Sora. They were side-by-side, holding hands, each with a keyblade in the other hand. The other was of Roxas and a man in black with fire-red hair. _Axel,_ I thought. They were also side-by-side, though they weren't holding hands. The picture sent out a feeling of closeness, as if they were once good friends. _But that couldn't be right, could it?_

Roxas gasped, and I turned around. Then my mouth opened, and my eyes got wide.

There was a girl in the doorway. She had white-blonde hair with piercing blue eyes, a white dress, and was carrying a drawing pad. Her eyes were on Roxas, and she had a soft smile on her face. Actually, she reminded me of…

"You!" Roxas had stepped back and was pointing at the girl with eyes wide and mouth open. Now I was confused. He knew her? "You're the one who did all of these pictures!" I almost fell on my face. Trust Roxas to state the obvious.

The girl let out a giggle, and Roxas blushed. She walked over to the table and put down her drawing pad. I cocked my head. Was their chemistry in the air? It certainly seemed so. Still… This girl looked familiar…

"My name is Naminé. I've been wanting to meet you, Roxas."

Now it was my turn to step back. She knew Roxas' name? It seems like everyone knows his name.

"How… How do you know my name?" Roxas looked just as stunned as I was. Naminé just smiled.

"I've heard a lot about you, and I couldn't wait to meet you. I'm so glad that I finally did." She clasped her hands in front of her daintily. Then her smile turned into a frown, and she looked at him sadly.

"I can't stay long. He'll be upset if he finds out that I've been talking to you. I wanted to tell you to go to the library. There's something there that you need to see. It will make you angry, but don't worry. Everything will turn out all right.

"And when you meet him… don't be scared. You'll be _whole_ again." Now, if it was possible, both Roxas and I were more confused than ever.

"What do you mean?" I had finally spoken up. "Who does Roxas have to meet? Who will be upset with you?"

Naminé turned towards me, startled, and noticed me for the first time. Her gaze pierced mine, and I felt as if she could see through me. Then she gasped.

"You're not from here, this world, are you?" I paled, and shook my head. "You shouldn't be here! How did you get here?" Naminé looked worried, and that got me shaken up.

"Astoria is my friend! She might not be from here, and we might not know how she got here, but that doesn't change anything. I trust her." Roxas stood in front of me protectively, and I gave him a small smile, but stepped away.

"I might not be from here, but…. Roxas is right. He's my friend, and I care. I'm not going to let him get hurt without my being there to prevent it, because Lord knows he'd be hopeless without me!" Roxas nodded, then scowled once he realized what I said. Naminé smiled.

"Very well, then. You have spirit, and I think you will be of some help to Roxas. Perhaps, you can help _him,_ too… All right then, here. I think that this will help." She picked up her drawing pad and pencil, and began to draw.

I felt a warmth surround me. I heard Roxas gasp, and saw why. The warmth enveloping me was pure light, a mixture of white and yellow. It gathered itself up and then dived straight into my chest. I inhaled sharply, then closed my eyes and exhaled as the light came out behind me, wrapping me in its embrace, only to dissolve into my body. At the sound of a click, I slowly opened my eyes, and saw Roxas gaping at me. I looked at my hands; they were glowing. I blinked, surprised, and the glow was gone. I looked at Naminé, but she just smiled.

"What… did you do…?" I was whispering. I felt too wonderful to talk normally. I felt… the feeling was too incredible to describe. Naminé was still smiling.

"I unlocked your potential. Now you can fight the Heartless and the Nobodies. It's all I can do for you, I'm sorry. Now, Roxas, you have to go to the library before _he_ shows up." Roxas nodded, and we headed towards the door, but were stopped.

"Your warning was a little too late, Naminé." We all jumped at the voice, and turned around to see two figures. One was in a black coat gripping the blonde girl's arm, and the other was wearing all red, standing in front of the doorway. Studying the one in black, I realized something.

"You!" I pointed at the black-clad figure. Naminé stopped jerking, and he looked at me. Or I think he did. "You're the one that showed up in the alley and tried to kidnap me! You're so lucky that Axel showed up, or…" _Oh, shit. Roxas._ I turned to look at him.

He was staring at me with disbelief.

"Axel? The guy I fought? You _know_ him? What, did you _get_ him to fight me at the tournament? Were you showing up 'out of nowhere' just because it was part of some plan? Do you know _them_, too?Did you purposely get me to care for you, so you could get closer to me for them? Well?_Answer me, Astoria!"_

Everyone in the room was silent. Roxas' chest was heaving, and he was glaring daggers at me. My heart broke. I could feel the tears threatening to fall. I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I hung my head as a few tears spilled.

* * *

CLIFFHANGER! Oooo. Don't hurt me. hides

I'm already working on the next chapter, so don't worry. Sora and co. should be making their appearence soon. I know I've probably been drawing the scenes with Roxas out. Sorry.

Oh. If anyone wants to draw some fanart of the scenes in this story, I would be much obliged. Really. Hint, Hint

Anyway, R&R!

-Teh SadPanda


	7. In Which A Discovery Is Made

I am sooooo sorry for the delay. I've had a bit of writer's block, and this chapter has been giving me some difficulty. Not to mention I have to get ready for school, cuz it starts in 3 days. :(

I realized that it might seem like Axel and Astoria are moving a little too fast, but then I thought about it. Axel is a Nobodie, so he wouldn't know, and he's Atoria's crush, so I don't think she'd care much. Heh.

Thank you to all of you who have reviewed. I promise to get the next chapter up a.s.a.p., but no garuntees on how soon!

* * *

"_Roxas!" _I looked up. The man in red had spoken. The one golden eye that was shown was narrowed. "Do not take your anger out on her. She plays no part in what Axel or I have planned. Now, because of your stupidity, you have hurt an innocent. Do you feel better now, knowing that you have caused pain to someone who cares for you?"

Naminé was still silent, as was the one who was gripping her arm. I looked at Roxas. He was standing there, looking at anything but me. I felt my self shrink within myself, leaving only the outer shell.

"Astoria, I believe your name is?" I nodded. The man in red continued. "I am going to have to take you with me. It is not safe for you here, and, seeing as what has just transpired, it will be for the best." I nodded again, not. Roxas was still ignoring me. "Very well, then, come along. Roxas, I suggest that you go back to your home and forget. Everything." Roxas ignored him.

The man in red turned, and created a dark portal. Black coat tugged on Naminé, and she glanced at Roxas.

"We'll meet again someday. I might not know it's you, and you might not know it's me, but we'll meet again. I promise." She looked so earnest, and all Roxas did was ignore her. Poor Naminé. Poor Roxas.

The man in black tugged on Naminé's arm again, and she went with him into the portal. The man in red was still waiting, and began to tap his foot impatiently.

"We must be gone from here quickly. If you are not going to come willingly, then I will have to take you by force." For some reason, I noticed his accent. It sounded Irish, and I found it pretty. I walked to the black portal, then stopped, and turned.

"Roxas…" He still wouldn't look at me. "Roxas, I know that you think I've been lying to you. But I want you to know that I haven't. Yes, I know Axel, but I don't know who these people are. Axel was assigned to watch over me by his boss. He stopped me from fighting our match, though I really did fall asleep." I attempted a weak smile. It didn't work. "Please, Roxas, at least don't forget me. At least remember that we _were_ friends, once. That's all I ask."

Roxas still wouldn't look at me. I sighed, and looked at the man in red.

"Lead the way."

He bowed, and I almost wanted to laugh. Instead, I stole once last glance at Roxas, then I walked into the portal of darkness. Suddenly, I could feel myself falling, and I felt very cold.

When I woke up, I was on a cold tile floor. Groaning, I rolled over, then sighed, and sat up. _This doesn't look like Roxas'…_

That's right. Roxas accused me of betrayal, and I went with the man in red. I think I passed out when I walked into the portal of darkness. Looking around, I was in some kind of… laboratory? There were all these weird machines, and a computer that had ten screens, where the man in red was currently seated. I didn't see Naminé or the man in black anywhere. Standing up, I walked up beside where the man in red was seated. He was typing something that I couldn't see, thought I did catch "Restoration at 97."

"So, you're finally awake." I nodded. "I suppose you must have had a very tiring day to have fallen asleep twice." I felt my face heat up from embarrassment.

"Well, you try appearing in a strange world out of nowhere, not knowing how you got there or how to get back. Then you should try almost being kidnapped, then told that you're of interest to some big bad boss-man. After that, try having one of the only friends you have accuse you of betraying them. I think you might be a little tired after that, too." I raised my eyebrow. The man in red just laughed.

"I believe, my dear, that you might be correct. However, we have things to talk about." He turned his seat around so he faced me.

"Yeah, like what your name is, for starters." He chuckled.

"I am called DiZ. Now, your turn is over, and it is now mine. How did you get here?"

"Ooh, is this 'Twenty Questions?' I love this game!" I let out a fake squeal of joy. DiZ's one eye narrowed. "Fine, fine. I'll tell you what I know, which isn't much, _if_ you can prove to me that you're not on the bad side." I folded my arms across my chest.

"Is there ever a _true_ 'good' or 'bad'?" I scowled. DiZ smirked in triumph. "Very well. I am in the process of restoring the _true_ keyblade bearer's memories." My eyes widened.

"Sora? What happened to Sora?" Dammit, I _knew_ that I should have played Chain of Memories! Then it clicked: _That_ was where Naminé was from.

"How do _you_ know his name?" Uh-oh. I'd made the mastermind guy suspicious. That couldn't be good.

"Um… I've just heard about him?" DiZ was still staring at me. I laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of my head. "But, uh… what happened to him?" He was silent for a moment, and then told me what went down.

"Organization XIII, the group this Axel is part of, had control of Naminé, and were using her powers over Sora to erase parts of his memory. Now, Naminé is using her powers to restore them."

So then…

"What does Roxas have to do with this?" My forehead creased as I tried to think of possible answers.

"Ah, you are indeed a bright girl. I'm impressed." I could all but see the delight in his golden eye. "Roxas is Sora's Nobody."

Now I was just plain confused. Roxas- A Nobody, and not just any Nobody, but _Sora's_ Nobody. How is that possible? What the hell _is_ a Nobody?

"But…"

"I believe it is _your_ turn to answer questions, now. So I'll ask again-"

_INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!_

I covered my ears to block out the loud electronic voice, and dropped to my knees. When it stopped, I looked up to see DiZ typing away. Feeling a breeze, I stood up and saw the man in black beside me.

"DiZ, what's going on?" Hey, that voice…

"It seems that Roxas has found his way into the other lab. He's on his way to see Sora."

_Roxas?_ I wished I could see him and make him believe me.

"Is that wise?" I _know_ that voice from somewhere!

"Oh, it's better than I had hoped for." I arched my eyebrow. What is DiZ planning? "Oh, what's this? It seems Astoria's friend has also managed to find his way here. Stubborn creatures, all of them." _Axel…?_

DiZ swiveled in his chair to face us. He studied me for a minute, and then flicked his gaze to the tall man beside me.

"Take her away from here. We don't need her seeing that Organization miscreant." The man in black grabbed my arm and started to haul me off, but DiZ stopped him.

"Do not let her see him, Ansem. Everything could be ruined if she does."

"_Ansem?" _He tensed up and gripped my arm tighter. "You expect me to go _anywhere_ with Ansem after all that he did?" My eyes were wide with shock. I couldn't believe this!

"Yes, I do. You are in _my_ care, so you will follow _my_ orders. You will do well to remember that." DiZ was glaring at me. I glared back.

"And what if I don't want to? There's no proving to me that Ansem is good, not after he tried to get Kingdom Hearts!" I felt "Ansem's" grip loosen just a smidgen.

"Then we will have to take you by _force!" _He nodded at Ansem, and he let my arm go. He actually thought he could take me. We'll see about that!

"Screw this!" I elbowed Ansem in the ribs, pivoted, and kneed him in the stomach, sending him to the ground with an "oomph". Not waiting for another chance, I headed for the door.

I heard DiZ yelling at Ansem to chase after me, and I decided to pick up my pace to a swift jog.

_Where's the room that Axel and Roxas are in?_

I sprinted down hallway after hallway, each one filled with doors. Everything looked so identical that I thought I was going in circles. Then I saw a door with smoke coming out from underneath it.

_Bingo._

I prayed the door wasn't locked when I came to it, and let out a sigh of relief as I turned the knob. Pushing it open, I stepped in, and then was stopped in my tracks by the sight in front of me.

Axel was in the middle of the room, crouched on one knee, clutching his right left arm. He had rips and tears all over his leather coat, a shallow cut on his forehead that was bleeding slowly, and he was breathing heavily. The room was blackened, but with the door open, the smoke was clearing. Indentions were all over the walls, as if weapons had hit them. Looking around, I saw Axel's chakram on the ground. I closed the door, and he immediately tensed, but didn't bother looking up.

"Come to finish me off? I didn't think you had it in the new you, Roxas. Fine then, let's have one more go."

He summoned his chakram, stood with some visible effort, and lifted his head up arrogantly. Green eyes met brown, and he relaxed.

"I really don't think it's necessary, but if you want me to school you, then by all means." I smiled, but it disappeared when he staggered, and I rushed over.

Letting him put most of his weight on me, I helped him over to the wall so he could relax against it. He leaned his head back and sighed.

"He got a lot stronger. Heh. Figures." I chewed on my bottom lip. I had some questions that I needed to ask, but I pushed them aside, telling myself they could wait.

"What happened Axel? DiZ said that you and Roxas were here. Did you two fight?" He chuckled.

"That _was_ a rhetorical question, right?" I smiled. "Yeah, we fought. Little shit was mad. He remembered me, though…" He smiled a soft smile, and had a look in his eyes. Happy, yet sad. "Wish he could've remembered earlier. It was too late…"

He broke off, and got lost in thought. I gnawed on my lip some more. What did he mean, Roxas remembered him?

He turned his head towards me.

"Y'know, you keep biting your lip, it's going to get torn up more than your shirt." I blushed, and he laughed.

"I happen to like my shirt, thank you very much." Axel just smiled and shook his head. "So… I'm assuming you lost?" He scowled, and I laughed.

"Only because he was really pissed. That was the drive he needed, otherwise I would've wiped the floor with him." I raised my eyebrow (I was doing that a lot today), but he just ignored it. "He said if I saw you, to apologize. He said he didn't mean to be an idiot, that he couldn't help it. He hopes you'll forgive him. He said to tell you 'I care.'"

Axel was staring at me, waiting for an explanation, but I was too speechless. Roxas had actually said that? Huh. Today is just full of surprises.

"Where… where did he go?" I saw something flicker in those green orbs, but thought nothing of it at the time. I had to talk to Roxas. Axel lifted up a hand, and pointed to the other door in the room.

"He went through there." His arm dropped. "You gonna tell me what happened?" I winced.

"We… had a disagreement. He thought that because I knew you, I had set up everything that's happened. He thought I had betrayed him. I guess DiZ got him to see otherwise."

Axel looked at me for a moment, as if he was studying me.

"Man, no kidding. He really was an idiot. Oh well. Look, I know you wanna talk to him, so go ahead." I started to get up, and then hesitated, looking at him with concern. He just rolled his eyes.

"Look, I'll be fine, don't worry!" To prove it, he stood up, albeit a little slowly. He stuck his hand out and helped me to my feet. "Go find Blondie and talk to him, but don't do more than talk." He glared at me, and I couldn't help but laugh. Then I remembered that Roxas had kissed me, and I blushed. To hide it, I stood on my tiptoes and gently brushed my lips against Axel's.

"Keep in touch. Behave." He just smiled and watched me run out of the door.

Looking around this new hallway, I was shocked. There were probably five white pods lined up against both walls. Some looked as if they hadn't been used in years, except for two of them. Those two were opened, and recently so.

That's odd… Where's Roxas? Axel said he went through that door… 

Rubbing my arms, I walked down the hall. It was chilly, _plus_ this place gave me the creeps. I almost wished I'd brought Axel, but he needed to rest.

_C'mon, Astoria. You don't need a man to help you. You just have to find Roxas, and- Aha! So _that's_ where he must have went!_

I had spotted another door, one that was carelessly left open. Cautiously, I walked towards the door. I had no idea what was beyond it, only that Roxas had gone through it. As I neared it, I could hear voices. Could it be…?

I peered into the doorway, and my suspicions were proved correct. The voices belonged to four people standing in front of a giant egg-like thing. Well, _one_ person, a cricket, a dog, and a duck. Beings that I knew very well. Perhaps _too_ well, considering the fact that I had never met them. But something was missing…

Where was Roxas?

DiZ had said that he was here somewhere. Axel had fought him, and told me that he went through the door. Now that I was in the hallway, the only other door he could have gone through was this one, but he wasn't in the room that it led to! From what I could see, there were no other doors in the room, so where could he have gone? _Dammit, Roxas!_

"Um. Excuse me…"

"Aaah!" I jumped back, and fell flat on my butt.

Grimacing at the pain, I looked up, and found myself staring into vibrant blue eyes. _Whoa…_ I had always thought that his eyes were pretty, but in real life? Just… Wow. Then I noticed a tiny cricket in a suit on his shoulder. I blinked.

"Hey! What are you doing here?"

I looked in the direction the raspy voice came from, and saw a duck. Next to him, was a dog, a very tall dog wearing a hat. He reached out a gloved hand. I took it, and he pulled me to my feet.

"Uh. Thanks." I was staring at the four of them like an idiot. They gave each other weird looks, and the dog began to whisper to the boy, who nodded. The dog pointed to himself.

"I'm Goofy." He pointed to the duck. "That's Donald." Donald snorted, arms folded across his chest, and glared at me. "The cricket is Jiminy." Said cricket smiled and bowed. "And that's Sora." He grinned and waved, then became serious again.

"Um. I'm sorry for scaring you. We just woke up, and didn't know where we were. Then we saw you, and thought you might know, but you were all spaced out, and… Wait, what's your name?"

"I'm Astoria. Sorry for freaking out. You scared me." Sora chuckled.

"So, can you tell us where we are?" Goofy asked. I nodded.

"We're in Twilight Town, in the very bottom of the Haunted Mansion."

"Hey!" We all looked at Donald. "Maybe the king's here!" Goofy nodded. Sora punched his fist into his hand.

"And if the king's here, then that means that Riku might be, too!"

I watched Donald roll his eyes at Sora's little boy grin. I saw Jiminy smile and heard Goofy laugh in the way that only he could. I was awestruck. I had met Roxas, seen Axel, argued with DiZ, and accused Ansem, but only after seeing a boy, a dog, and a duck did I truly believe that I was here. Only then did I truly realize I was in Kingdom Hearts II.

And one thing was certain. I strained to hold back my laughter.

The Keyblade's chosen was in desperate need of some new clothes.

* * *

Well, there you have it. The latest chapter in Astoria's adventure. Oh, does anyone know where I got Astoria's name from? To the first one who guesses, I'll write a scene of your choice (With some limitations, of course). Remember, FIRST ONE to guess. If you're second or third, I'll think of something. Lol.

Please remember to review after reading. I need you to keep up my confidence level:)


	8. In Which A Rodent Is Found

FINALLY! I've had this chapter done for a while, I just never typed it up. I'm so lazy. . I've been busy with school, though, which is actually where I wrote this entire chapter.

Regarding the winner of that little contest, we have a tie- Between Enthusiastically Apathetic and YuYuYasha. So if those two could get in contact with me somehow, we'll discuss the scenes that they want me to write.

No one really got the name right. Those two were just the closest. Yeah, it's a place in Oregon, but I got it from So Long, Astoria by The Ataris. Close enough, though. Lol. Onto the story!

"So we're in Twilight Town?" Sora asked as we walked out of the mansion. I nodded. After they'd come off of their slight adrenaline rush, Jiminy thought that it would be a good idea if I showed Sora, Donald, and Goofy around the town. Y'know, since I lived there.

"What's it like?"

"Um… It's not very big. Everyone knows everyone else. It's…" _It's kind of like Traverse Town. _"It's a nice town."

The others nodded in satisfaction, and we continued to walk through the woods.

"Hey, Astoria." I glanced over at Goofy. "Have you seen King Mickey? He's got ears like this," He held his hands to the top of his head in half-circles. "And he has a tail." Sora and Donald stopped walking to hear my answer. Their eyes were filled with such hope that I considered lying to them.

"No… I'm sorry, but I haven't seen anyone with that description." The light in their eyes dimmed, but only slightly.

"Oh well. It might take a while, but we'll find the king _and_ Riku. I know we will." I was dumbfounded by Sora's confidence. I stared at him, but he just smiled. Goofy laughed at my wide-eyed expression, while Donald rolled his eyes.

"Come on," he said in an exasperated voice. "Let's see if anyone has seen the king!" He waddled off to the exit of the forest.

"Yeah, let's hurry!" Goofy trailed behind Donald, leaving me with Sora. He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye and smiled.

"C'mon, we don't want them to leave us."

"Uh…" He cocked an eyebrow.

"You want to stay here?" I shook my head vigorously, causing him to laugh. He grabbed my arm at the wrist and began to run. As he tugged me along, I, too, began to laugh.

"Where are we going? My feet hurt!"

"Donald! For the last time, _stop_ complaining! We'll get there when we get there!"

Sora glared at the duck, who glared back. Goofy and I shared a look and a chuckle as we continued towards the Sand Lot. Sora stopped and glanced at me.

"Um… Just where _are_ we going?" He rubbed his head sheepishly. If I was in an anime instead of a video game, I would have face-vaulted, but I settled for rolling my eyes.

"We're going to see some friends of mine. They may have seen the king."

"No need to look for the king, Astoria. You just found him."

I turned and came face to face with beautiful turquoise eyes with a scar running between them. I smiled.

"You might be king, Seifer, but I beat you in battle, so what does that make me?"

"Why, it makes you my queen, naturally." I blushed, and Seifer smirked. His gaze moved behind me, and he cocked an eyebrow. I felt Sora tense up.

"You never do quit hanging out with lamers, do you?" I glared at him, but he ignored it.

"First you were with Chicken Wuss and his friends, and now you pick up these freaks? You _really_ need new taste in friends."

"Roxas is _not_ a chicken wuss!"

"Wha… Who's Roxas? What are you talking about?"

I stared at him, slack-jawed. He didn't know who Roxas was?

"But… But… You just saw him at the Struggle match yesterday! You would have fought him if I hadn't beaten you!"

Seifer just stared at me in disbelief.

"Um… Are you okay?" I blinked. "That's not what happened. You beat me and became the new Struggle champion."

"Oh… That's right…" I said weakly.

"You sure you're okay? Maybe the heat got to you yesterday." He looked me over, concerned, but I just waved it off and started walking.

"Nah… I'm… Fine. C'mon, Sora, Donald, Goofy. Seifer, I'll catch you later." He nodded and watched the four of us walk to the Usual Spot.

Hayner, Pence and Olette were in the normal spots when we pushed the curtain aside. When they saw me, they all grinned.

"Well, if it isn't the Struggle Champion herself? To what do we owe this honor?" Hayner stood and bowed, less than gracefully. I gave a small smile while they laughed.

"Hey, have you guys seen Roxas?" They stopped laughing to stare at me. Pence scratched his chin.

"Who?"

"Never mind. Um… These are my new friends, Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Guys, this is Hayner, Pence, and Olette."

Everyone waved and began to form conversations. Olette looked thoughtfully at the brunette beside me.

"What did you say your name was?" Sora blinked.

"Um… I'm Sora." Olette's eyes widened in realization.

"Oh! A friend of yours was here a little bit ago!"

That got our attention.

"That's right," Pence nodded. "He was really short and had ears like this." Pence cupped his ears similar to how Goofy had done earlier. "He had a tail, too."

"It's the king!" Goofy whispered in awe.

"Where did he go!" Donald yelled, jumping up and down. Hayner rolled his eyes.

"He said he'd be at the train station, and if we met someone named 'Sora,' then tell him to meet there."

"C'mon, we gotta go see King Mickey!" Sora took off in a dash, with Donald and Goofy not far behind.

"I'll see you later, guys," I said to the trio. "I've got to show them how to get to the train station." I took off running, but didn't go far; they were wandering around Market Street.

"I don't know where we are!" Sora whined. I chuckled. _Here I come, to save the day…_

"Ahem." They looked up, and relief flooded their eyes. "You need to go this way."

I led them up the street until we got to the train station entrance. I stopped, and took in the view. No wonder Roxas was constantly on the clock tower. The view was amazing.

_Roxas… I wonder what happened._

"Astoriaaa… Come _on!_ We've got to see the king!"

What _is_ it with Sora whining?

"Albright I'm coming- AH!"

A silver thing flew at me out of nowhere. I rolled to the side before it could make contact, and quickly got to my feet. Looking around, there were eight of them surrounding us. _There must be the Nobodies that Axel was talking about!_

"Astoria!" Sora called. He was brandishing his keyblade, and Donald and Goofy had their weapons out. "You need to get out of here, now! Go on, I'll cover for you!"

_Ha! As if!_ I got in my fighting stance; one leg in front of the other with one fist at eye level and the other at my waist.

"No way! There's eight of them and four of us; that's two each. I'll help you guys fight!" Goofy and Donald grinned. Sora studied me, then, smiling, nodded.

"Alright. Are you guys ready?" We nodded. "Let's go!"

He ran forward, swinging his keyblade at a random Nobody. Donald immediately began casting spells while Goofy charged, his shield sending Nobodies flying. I side-stepped an attacker, then did a spin kick, propelling it off the side of the balcony. _One down._ I grinned, and charged my next victim.

I collapsed in an exhausted heap beside Donald and Goofy. Sora swung his keyblade one last time, and then fell down next to me. I groaned.

"What are we going to do? Every time we take one down, another one shows up in its place!"

"They're too strong!" Donald cast a weak fire spell at the feet of an advancing Nobody that was coming too close.

"We're done for!" Goofy cried.

"No way!" Sora tried to stand, failed, and fell down again.

So this is how it goes. I closed my eyes. I started a journey just to have it abruptly ended. I could hear the Nobodies advancing. _Axel…_

"Don't give up!"

We all looked up to see a small figure in a familiar coat leap into the horde of Nobodies, destroying them left and right without any sign of effort. Wait a minute… He had a _tail? And_ a keyblade?

"It's the king! It's the king!" Donald cried. He leaped up from his position on the ground. Sora and Goofy followed suit. I rose slowly to my feet; exhaustion was still taking its toll on me.

"Sora, here." The royal mouse handed him a bulging pouch. "The three of you have to get on the train. It's waiting for you; you'll know which one it is."

The mouse turned to face me. I shifted uncomfortably under his unwavering gaze.

"Thank you for helping them. I deeply appreciate it."

"Um… You're welcome."

"Sora, Donald, Goofy, good luck." With that last goodbye, he turned and ran.

"Your Majesty, wait! What about Riku?" Sora called, but the mouse was already out of earshot. Goofy put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Sora. We'll find Riku. "Donald nodded.

"Yeah! It's only a matter of time." Sora smiled.

"You guys are right. C'mon, let's go find that train."

With that, we walked into the train station, the doors closing behind us.

Aaand there's chapter 8! I will try to get 9 up a.s.a.p., but please forgive me if it takes a while. I've got a lot going on.

I've got a lot of ideas for this story, but I don't know where to post them, so why not here? I want a rating on a 1-10 scale for each.

**After the 1000 Heartless battle, Aerith and Yuffie decide to play matchmaker with Astoria and Leon, since "Sora has Kairi and Cloud is waiting for someone."  
Astoria stays in Hollow Bastion while Sora visits some worlds, and helps clear out the Heartless. She also buys a camera and has an adventure getting pictures of everyone. **_Will possibly be a chapter on its own, the humor part of the story.  
_**She goes to Port Royal and freaks over Cpt. Jack Sparrow. He tries to get her to stay with him and be his apprentice, if you will, and she considers it. **_Also a humor chapter._

Well. There's some of the ideas. The others that I have, I am deffinately going to do. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, please email me at Until next time! Bows


	9. In Which Goodbye Is Said

Ugh. I finally finished this chapter. I am soooo sorry that it took so long! I've had a lot of things going on lately that have taken precidence (s/p?) over this. I'm sorry! I hope that you forgive me. Well, the good news is that the Astoria-going-camera-crazy chapter will be coming up soon.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. This story wouldn't have made it this far without you!

**Note: **For those of you who think that this is a MarySue or a MaryJane fic, it's NOT. Astoria might have some qualities of me, but she's not me. She's a character that I made up, and I wouldn't mind having her personality. If you want me to draw up a list of what we have in common, and how she is NOT like me, then I will. Don't flame me and tell me my story is a piece of shit just because you think a character is supposed to be me. That's fucked up, and unappreciated. Not to mention, you have no life if you're going to read a story just to call it a piece of shit.

After we entered the train station, Hayner, Pence, and Olette came running through the doors. Standing in front of us, they all smiled sheepishly.

"We wanted to see you off," Pence said. "It felt like the right thing to do." Sora smiled, and then something odd happened. He shed a tear.

"Uh. Um," He stuttered, wiping it away, shamefully. "I don't know why that happened. I'm just… Sad to leave you guys." The trio in front of us nodded, looking just as sad.

"Sora, come on!" Donald hollered from the strange train. Goofy nodded.

"We gotta get goin'!" Sora nodded and turned hesitantly, but I pulled him back before he could go.

"I want to come with you," I said.

"I don't know… It'll be dangerous… Are you sure?" Sora looked unsure.

"Yes. I can hold my own, and I can help you. I promise I won't be a burden. Please?" I looked up at him, my eyes pleading. He sighed.

"Alright. The more the merrier, right?" I let out a whoop of joy and dashed forward to hug him.

"Thank you thank you thank you! I promise I won't let you down." I looked up and grinned. Seeing a faint blush upon Sora's cheeks, I pulled away

"I'll see you on the train, then." I nodded. "It was really nice meeting you guys." Sora waved, turned, and then boarded the train.

Turning to face the first friends I gained here, I felt the tears well up. Olette was already crying, and Pence looked a little misty eyed.

"We knew that you would be leaving, somehow. We got you these, as a gift."

She extended her hand and opened it, palm up, revealing a pair of earrings. One was a silver star, and the other was a silver crescent moon. Holding back tears, I put them on and gave her my best smile. Olette ran forward and hugged me tightly.

"Come back soon," she whispered. I nodded, and then turned towards Hayner and Pence. The latter sniffled while the other rolled his eyes. I smiled.

"Don't be sad, you guys! I'll be back soon!" Pence sniffled again and nodded. "Tell Seifer not to miss me too much, and take care of Bella!" I winked, gave them one last smile, and boarded the train, but not before I heard Hayner yell:

"You better take care of yourself, or else!"

I bent over at the waist, gasping for air. I wasn't used to fighting hordes of Heatless while running up infinite flights of stairs. Leave it to a wizard to make things difficult. At least the Heartless Pete sent were only at a few at a time. These were ten to fifteen at once. To my relief, I wasn't the only one reaching their limit.

Sora was leaning against a wall, clutching his side. Goofy was letting his giant shield support his weight while he caught his breath. Donald was the only one who didn't appear winded. In fact, he was jumping up and down while yelling at us.

"Why did you stop! We're almost there! Come_ on_! Get _up! _We have to go see Master Yen-Sid!" We all rolled our eyes and complied, walking stiffly to the next door, which took Sora and Goofy to open.

Donald dashed inside, followed by Goofy, then Sora, then finally me. I looked around the room we were in and wasn't very impressed. It was mostly bare, with books lining the walls in shelves and a desk with a chair in the middle. There was a pointed hat on top of the desk that I thought I recognized.

"Master Yen-Sid?" Donald called, looking around. "Master Yen-Sid, where are you? It's us, Donald and Goofy!"

A puff of smoke appeared behind the desk. Sora and I immediately got in our fighting positions, but Donald and Goofy only bowed. _Huh?_

Standing where the smoke had been was an ancient looking man in blue robes. He had piercing gray eyes, a long beard, and was wearing the blue hat. _Oh, he's the scary guy from Fantasia._

"Master Yen-Sid! It's an honor!

Wow. Could Donald suck up any more?

"Hiya." Sora waved. Donald hit him on the head and forced him to bow.

"Sora, show some respect! That's the king's teacher!" Sora's mouth opened with an "Oh." Yen-Sid just smiled, not insulted at all.

"You must be Sora, the keyblade wielder. His majesty, King Mickey, has said many a great thing about you." Sora's eyes widened.

"You've seen the king? Have you seen Riku, too, then?" Yen-Sid's smile disappeared.

"His majesty gave me instructions. He told me to provide you with information about your new enemy. He did not tell me anything about this Riku you speak of. I am sorry."

"Oh…" Sora frowned. I put my hand on his shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He gave me a small smile and nodded.

"So… Tell me about the enemy." Yen-Sid nodded, and waved an arm, which conjured an image to the right of us. It was… Beings in black coats!

"This is the Organization XIII. Its members are very powerful, each with their own special abilities. We don't know what their motives or their plan is, only that they are not your allies. They _will_ try to kill you."

Goofy gulped and Donald looked a little apprehensive. Sora scratched his head.

"So what are they, exactly? Are they a new breed of Heartless?"

"They are called Nobodies." My head shot up. _What?_

"Uh, what's a Nobody?" Goofy asked. "Kind of like a Heartless?" Yen-Sid shook his head.

"Nobodies are the result of a Heartless being created from a being with a strong heart and will. The shell that it leaves behind becomes a malevolent creature. They're more intelligent than Heartless, therefore posing a more serious threat."

He waved his arm again, and an image of the silver things appeared.

"This is called a Dusk. It is the lowest ranking Nobody. The Organization members are the highest ranked."

"But how come they look like us?" Donald tapped his chin.

"The best answer I can give you is because they are the highest ranked Nobodies. Their heart and will must have been very strong. However, even though they look like us, they are not.

Nobodies do not have hearts. They do not feel. They can only remember what it was like to feel."

I stood numbly, taking it what the magician just said. After I had called him heartless, he had replied, "Nobodies can't have hearts." I thought he was just being a jackass, but… He had meant it literally. Was he lying to me the whole time? He said that he couldn't feel, but wait… Hadn't he said that I made him warm, or something similar? Maybe he wasn't lying, then.

But then again… He hadn't told me he was part of the Organization. He probably knew that I would meet up with Sora, but he hadn't revealed that he was going to be my enemy. His boss, the leader of Organization XIII, had assigned him to "investigate me," so maybe that was all that I was to him. I'm a challenge, an investigation, a responsibility, and a _mission._ That's all that I was… I fought the tears that threatened to spill.

"You there. Girl." I shot my head up. Looking around the room, I saw that Sora, Donald, and Goofy weren't there. The only other person in the room with me was Wizard Yen-Sid.

"Where are the others?" I asked nervously.

"They're in the next room. You were too lost in thought to notice. Now, come here."

I slowly inched my way to his desk. I could have sworn that he rolled his eyes.

"I will not bite you, child, so you have nothing to fear. I only wish to talk." I relaxed slightly, and walked closer to his desk. The wizard nodded.

"Good. Now, his Majesty did not tell me of your arrival. Perhaps you can inform me?" I hesitated, the decided it was a good idea. I mean, he had taught Mickey Mouse, perhaps one of the greatest icons ever, so he couldn't be _that_ bad. As I recited my story, minus a few details about Axel, he listened without interruption. Once I was finished and trying to catch my breath, he finally spoke.

"So you are saying that in your world, we are… Part of a game?" I nodded. "Hmmm… And you just woke up in our world?" I nodded a second time. "That is very odd indeed. I have never heard of anything like this."

Yen-Sid stroked his beard in a downward motion, as if he was thinking. I shifted my weight. Would he have an answer? He was a great wizard, and had probably been around for a while. Plus, wizards were always wise; they knew everything. Would he know why I was here, in the world of Kingdom Hearts II?

**The end! Haha. J/k! Don't hurt me, please:ducks:**

Finally, he broke the uncomfortable silence.

"I do not know why you are here, child, nor do I know how you came to be here." I lowered my gaze in disappointment.

"… I … was hoping that you might have some kind of idea." Yen-Sid smiled.

"Child, do not fret so. I plan on looking into it. Your situation perplexes me greatly. I intend to consult the king on this matter. Perhaps his Majesty will have an answer."

"Thank you," I whispered. Maybe King Mickey _will_ know. There was only one way to find out.

"Ah, I see that the keyblade's chosen is _finally_ ready." Yen-Sid smirked. Turning towards the door, I saw that Sora now wore new clothes that _fit._

"Hey, you have three post-menopausal fairies try to make you an outfit, and we'll see how long it'll take _you._" I laughed. "Anyways, how do they look?" He rubbed the back of his head, smiling.

Instead of his normal clothes, his outfit was now mostly black, with some silver, gold, and red mixed in. (I'm not going into detail. You wanna see it? Go look it up.) I smiled and gave him the thumbs up sign.

"You look great! Now you're _almost_ as cool as me." He scowled, while Donald and Goofy laughed.

"Whatever," he said, still scowling. "I'm 100 times cooler than you are."

"In your dreams." I rolled my eyes. Yen-Sid cleared his throat, glaring at the four of us. Sora and I laughed sheepishly.

"Now that all of you are ready, it is time for you to begin your journey and travel to other worlds." My eyes widened. Donald and Goofy shared a sideways glance.

"But Master Yen-Sid," Donald quacked. "How will we get there?"

Yen-Sid smirked, yes, actually smirked.

"With this." He pointed to a window, where a huge orange gummy ship was floating by.

"Wow!" Goofy said.

"The gummy ship!" Donald was jumping up and down. Sora grinned at me in excitement.

"C'mon, Astoria. Let's go fly." He took my hand and led me down the never-ending steps and into the gummy ship.

I pressed my face to the window and stared at the stars outside. I was awe-struck, and my face was flushed with excitement. It was so beautiful! The others smiled at my child-like wonder.

"So is this your first time in a gummy ship, Astoria?" Goofy asked me. I nodded, still staring outside. Donald chuckled.

"How do you like it?" I nodded again, but this time more vigorously. This time, they all laughed.

"I've never seen anything so beautiful! All of the stars… It's gorgeous." I turned away from the window, and saw Sora staring at me with an odd look. "You okay?" I asked. He blinked, shook his head as if to clear it, and then nodded. Suddenly, his eyes widened and his faced paled.

"What? What is it?" I turned back to the window, and felt my breath being taken away.

"What's happening to Twilight Town?" Donald asked. Goofy was staring out the window, his eyes huge.

"I think it's… Disappearing. Can it do that?" Sora shrugged.

"I don't think we'll be able to visit it any time soon." He looked at me out of the corner of his eye and frowned. "I'm sorry, Astoria. The good news is, though, I don't think it'll stay that way. So we will get to go back." I nodded, still out of it.

"So anyway… Just where are we going?" Donald, Goofy, and Sora looked at each other.

"Um…"

"You know…"

"That's a good question."

I rolled my eyes. _Men._ Sora clasped his fist in his hand, eyes shining.

"I got it!" He grinned at all of us while we waited.

"Well…?" Donald rolled his eyes.

"Oh yeah." Sora chuckled. "Why don't we go to Hollow Bastion? We could see Leon and the gang, check up on them, and clear out any Heartless around." Goofy nodded.

"We could try and find out information about Organization XIII, too."

"Alright, any objections?" Donald asked. We all shook our heads. "Then it's off to Hollow Bastion we go!"

Well, there you have it. I know there wasn't much action, but there will be soon, so don't worry! And if you're upset that Axel hasn't shown up lately, he will. Please be sure to review. I'll give you a cookie! If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'll answer them on my profile.  
-Teh SadPanda

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